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The European Commission has warned Meta that it must allow competing artificial intelligence chatbots to access WhatsApp, following a preliminary antitrust investigation that found the company may have breached EU competition rules.
In a statement on Monday, the Commission said changes to Meta’s terms since January had effectively prevented third-party AI assistants from connecting with users through WhatsApp. It issued a formal “statement of objections”, giving the US tech giant the opportunity to respond.
EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said the bloc was weighing interim measures to prevent what it sees as potential harm to competition.
She indicated that regulators could require Meta to restore third-party AI access to WhatsApp under the same conditions that existed before the policy shift, pending the outcome of the probe.
The move does not predetermine the final decision in the case.
Meta pushed back against the findings, arguing there was no basis for regulatory intervention. A company spokesperson said users have multiple ways to access AI tools, including through app stores, devices, websites and partnerships, and disputed the Commission’s view that WhatsApp’s Business API represents a critical distribution channel for chatbots.
The investigation, launched in December, is the latest effort by the 27-member EU to tighten oversight of major technology firms.
Regulators expressed concern that limiting rivals’ access to WhatsApp’s more than three billion users could strengthen Meta’s position in the AI market, particularly at the expense of smaller competitors.
Meta has embedded its own generative assistant, Meta AI, across platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. While the new restrictions apply where AI is the core service, such as standalone chatbots, companies can still use AI for support functions like customer service through the messaging app.
The Commission said Meta is likely dominant in consumer messaging services within the European Economic Area, which includes EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, but excludes Italy, where a separate probe is underway.
Regulators allege the company may be abusing that dominance by denying competitors access.
There is no fixed deadline for concluding the investigation.
Meta is also facing scrutiny under other EU laws. Regulators are examining whether Facebook and Instagram are doing enough to mitigate the risks of social media addiction among children.
