BRUSSELS: The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms over its use of artificial intelligence features in WhatsApp, the Commission said on Thursday.
The probe comes as global regulators increase scrutiny of Big Tech’s deployment of generative AI systems.
The move was first reported by Reuters and the Financial Times. It marks the latest action by European authorities against major technology firms such as Amazon and Alphabet’s Google, as the EU seeks to support innovation while curbing the growing power of dominant platforms.
Europe’s tougher regulatory approach has prompted strong resistance from US tech giants and criticism from the administration of US President Donald Trump.
WhatsApp’s new AI policy
The investigation centres on Meta’s new policy for WhatsApp that may restrict other AI providers’ access to the platform.
The policy could favour Meta AI, the company’s own chatbot and virtual assistant, rolled out on WhatsApp across Europe earlier this year.
EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the Commission aims to ensure that Europeans can benefit fully from AI technologies. She said the probe will examine whether Meta is “abusing their power to crowd out innovative competitors”.
“AI markets are booming in Europe and beyond,” Ribera said. “This is why we are investigating if Meta’s new policy might be illegal under competition rules.”
The Commission said the new policy, set to be fully applicable from 15 January 2026, may prevent rival AI tools from reaching WhatsApp users.
If confirmed, the practices could breach EU rules that prohibit dominant companies from abusing their position.
Meta rejects allegations
A WhatsApp spokesperson denied the claims, calling them “baseless”. The spokesperson said the recent growth of third-party chatbots on the platform had placed a “strain on our systems that they were not designed to support”.
The spokesperson added that the AI market remained highly competitive and that users could access alternative services through app stores, search engines, email platforms, partner integrations and operating systems.
Italy’s antitrust authority launched a separate investigation in July into allegations that Meta used its market power to integrate an AI tool into WhatsApp.
The Italian probe was broadened in November to assess whether Meta further abused its dominance by blocking rival AI chatbots from the messaging app.
The Commission noted that the investigation follows a more traditional competition route rather than the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The DMA is currently being used to examine Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud operations for potential anti-competitive practices.
