Antitrust Probes Meta Over AI Service in WhatsApp

Rome: Italy’s Antitrust authority (AGCM) said Wednesday that it has opened a probe into Meta for having decided to pre-install its artificial intelligence service on its WhatsApp app, saying that, in doing so, the Web giant may be “imposing” the use of its chatbot and AI assistance tools on its users.

According to Ansa News Agency, AGCM is investigating Meta Platforms Inc., Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, WhatsApp Ireland Limited, and Facebook Italy S.r.l. for allegedly breaching EU law with a suspected abuse of its dominant position. The authority stated that “Meta AI is a Chatbot or AI Assistant service that uses artificial intelligence technology to respond to general-purpose queries of various kinds and to offer forms of interaction similar to virtual assistants.”

The investigation seeks to determine whether Meta, by integrating Meta AI with WhatsApp, is channeling its customer base into the emerging market by imposing the availability of the two distinct services upon users, potentially harming competitors. The authority expressed concerns that users may become ‘locked in’ or functionally dependent on Meta AI, as the service’s responses could become increasingly useful and relevant over time.

A Meta spokesperson stated that the company is fully cooperating with the Antitrust Authority in the probe. The spokesperson emphasized that “offering free access to AI features on WhatsApp gives millions of Italians the choice to use it in an environment they already know, trust, and understand.”