EU to Investigate Meta Over WhatsApp AI Integration

The European Union is preparing to launch an antitrust investigation into Meta’s integration of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp, according to reports citing EU officials. The European Commission is expected to announce the probe in the coming days, marking another regulatory challenge targeting Meta’s AI practices.

The anticipated investigation follows growing international concern over Meta’s recent changes to WhatsApp’s business terms. Italy’s competition authority expanded its own inquiry on November 25, examining whether Meta abused its dominant market position by implementing new WhatsApp Business Solution terms on October 15 that effectively restrict rival AI chatbots from operating on the platform.

According to the Financial Times, the European Commission is reviewing whether the integration of Meta AI into WhatsApp may violate Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits abuse of a dominant market position.

Regulatory pressure is also rising outside Europe. Brazil’s competition authority opened a preliminary investigation on November 21 after AI chatbot companies Luzia and Zapia accused Meta of adopting an “embrace, extend, and extinguish” strategy—initially encouraging integrations with WhatsApp, only to later block them.

At the center of the scrutiny lies Meta’s October policy update prohibiting AI providers whose main product is a general-purpose chatbot from using WhatsApp’s Business API starting January 15, 2026. The change will impact services built on the API by companies such as OpenAI and Perplexity, while Meta’s own AI assistant remains fully integrated into WhatsApp.

A Meta spokesperson defended the changes, stating that “The WhatsApp API was never designed for AI chatbots, and using it this way would place severe strain on our systems.” The company clarified that businesses using AI for customer support, reservations, or order processing may continue using the API.

Italy’s competition watchdog warned that Meta’s policy could “severely and irreversibly” harm market competition, pointing to consumers’ reluctance to switch messaging platforms and Meta AI’s exclusive access to WhatsApp user interaction data for training purposes.