EU Commission opens antitrust investigation into Meta for integrated AI in WhatsApp in the EEA
EU investigates whether Meta's use of artificial intelligence in WhatsApp restricts competition, excluding Italy due to overlaps with national investigations
After an investigation phase that began last summer, the European Commission is preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta's artificial intelligence functionality tools on Whatsapp. The news, anticipated by the Financial Times online, is confirmed in an official statement by the European Commission. The investigation aims to ascertain how the tech giant integrated its 'Meta AI' system into its messaging service earlier this year, writes the Ft citing two officials.
The new investigation will fall under traditional antitrust laws and not under the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has been the focus of attacks by the Donald Trump-led US administration. Mark Zuckerberg's giant implemented its AI functionality in WhatsApp in March in all European countries, after initially delaying the rollout due to Europe's "complex regulatory system". The feature is designed to be an artificial intelligence assistant within Whatsapp chat that gives suggestions for writing messages.
The Italian authorities' parallel investigations
The Italian antitrust authorities, recalls the financial newspaper, are already investigating Meta, suspected of exploiting its dominant position to integrate AI into WhatsApp without user consent. Last month, Italian authorities extended their investigation to the new terms of WhatsApp Business messaging services and new AI features, claiming that the changes 'could limit production, market access or technical developments in the market for AI-based chatbot services'.
The investigation by the EU antitrust authority - clarified the European Commission itself in a passage of the official press release - "will cover the EEA with the exception of Italy. This is to avoid overlaps with the ongoing proceedings before the Italian Competition Authority for the possible imposition of interim measures regarding Meta's behaviour'.
Meta: allegations without foundation
"The allegations are unfounded," stressed a Meta spokesperson, referring to the news of the launch of the investigation by the EU Antitrust Authority. "The increasing deployment of artificial intelligence chatbots on our Business API generates an overload on our systems, which were not designed to support this type of usage. However, the AI industry is highly competitive and people can access their preferred services in many different ways: via app stores, search engines, email services, third-party integrations and operating systems,' he added.
