EU Orders Meta to Restore Free Rival AI Access on WhatsApp

European Union regulators announced on Wednesday their intention to order Meta Platforms to restore free access for rival artificial intelligence assistants on its WhatsApp messaging service, rejecting the company's fee-based policy as a violation of antitrust rules.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm and chief competition enforcer, notified Meta that its revised approach, introduced in March, effectively continues to exclude third-party AI providers in a manner similar to an earlier ban. Officials opened the investigation in December over concerns that WhatsApp's updated terms and conditions prevented competing AI chatbots from using the platform's business API to communicate with customers. The probe focuses on whether Meta's actions constitute an abuse of its dominant market position, potentially harming competition in the growing AI assistant sector.

To address immediate risks, the Commission plans to impose interim measures requiring Meta to reinstate access under the pre-policy conditions that existed before the changes set for October 15, 2025. These measures would remain in effect until the full investigation concludes. The regulator views the shift from a...