Meta ordered by EU to allow rival AI chatbots back on WhatsApp for free
The interim measure restores rivals’ access within five working days as regulators probe whether Meta blocked competitors from WhatsApp.
- On Tuesday, The European Commission ordered Meta Platforms to give rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp while regulators investigate whether the company abused its market power by blocking competitors.
- Regulators initiated an investigation last December following complaints from The Interaction Company of California, developer of the Poke AI assistant, and French startup Agentik regarding Meta's October decision to block rivals from its WhatsApp Business API.
- Under this interim measure—the first in 17 years—Meta must restore rival access within five working days, or face a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover if found to have breached antitrust rules.
- EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribiera stated that "competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted," while a Meta spokesperson denounced the ruling as "regulatory overreach" subsidized by paying companies.
- The Commission is taking action to prevent harm in the growing AI market, shifting toward temporary orders after facing criticism for years-long antitrust investigations that failed to rein in Big Tech's market power.
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The EU Commission is therefore forcing WhatsApp to allow AI assistants from other providers in the EU free of charge. The US company Meta, to which WhatsApp belongs, must implement the interim measures within five working days. Otherwise, the EU Commission fears "serious and irreparable damage to the competition in the growing market for universal AI assistants. There, smaller providers and new market participants would currently have the opport…
The EU decision is intended to allow EU citizens to choose for themselves which artificial intelligence chatbots they would prefer to use.
EU Orders Meta to Open WhatsApp Gates for Rival AI Chatbots
The EU has mandated Meta Platforms to allow free access for rival AI chatbots, including OpenAI, to WhatsApp amid allegations of antitrust violations. The European Commission aims to ensure fair competition in the evolving AI market, as Meta faces scrutiny over its practices and potential fines.
The American company Meta must provide artificial intelligence service providers with free access to its social network WhatsApp until the end of the investigation launched against it by the European Commission at the end of last year, Brussels announced.
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