EU Slaps Meta With Warning Over WhatsApp AI Chatbot Lockout
European Commission fires warning shot at Meta for blocking rival AI assistants on WhatsApp.
Brussels is coming for Meta. Again.
The European Commission just hit the tech giant with a statement of objections over WhatsApp's policies that prevent competing AI chatbots from operating on the platform. Translation: regulators think Meta is playing dirty in the AI assistant wars.
The Commission isn't messing around either. Officials warned they're prepared to take action to prevent what they're calling "serious" harm to competition. That's regulatory speak for "fix this or else."
This move fits a familiar pattern. EU regulators have repeatedly targeted Big Tech over anti-competitive practices, and AI is now firmly in their crosshairs. Meta's strategy of keeping rival AI assistants off WhatsApp—while presumably promoting its own Meta AI—apparently crossed a line.
The company now faces a choice: open up WhatsApp to competing chatbots or brace for potential penalties.