EU Launches Antitrust Probe into Meta's WhatsApp AI

The European Commission launched an antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms on Thursday, December 4, in Brussels, examining the company's integration of its artificial intelligence assistant into the WhatsApp messaging service. The probe focuses on whether Meta's rollout of the Meta AI system earlier this year violated competition rules by potentially abusing the platform's dominant market position.

Meta introduced Meta AI, a chatbot and virtual assistant, directly into WhatsApp's interface in March, making it available to users across European markets. The feature allows for AI-powered chat assistance, text generation, and other automated tools within conversations. Regulators are assessing if this integration gives Meta an unfair advantage over rival AI providers, particularly regarding access to WhatsApp's vast user base of billions worldwide.

The investigation falls under the European Union's traditional antitrust framework rather than the newer Digital Markets Act, which has been applied to other tech probes involving companies like Amazon and Microsoft. Commission officials have indicated the review will explore the competitive implications of embedding proprietary AI...