What happened
The European Commission initiated an antitrust investigation into Meta's integration of AI features within WhatsApp across the European Economic Area, excluding Italy. This probe follows Meta's March launch of its AI assistant in WhatsApp, which provides in-chat text suggestions and prompts. A new Meta policy restricts third-party AI providers from utilising the WhatsApp Business Solution for customer communication, while Meta's proprietary AI service, Meta AI, remains accessible. This action aims to determine if Meta's AI deployment breaches competition rules by potentially hindering third-party AI innovators.
Why it matters
This development introduces a constraint for platform operators and procurement teams by limiting the selection of AI service providers for customer communication within the WhatsApp Business Solution. The policy creates a visibility gap for alternative AI solutions, increasing due diligence requirements for compliance and legal teams to ensure adherence to fair competition practices and mitigate potential regulatory penalties. The burden falls on those responsible for managing third-party integrations and vendor selection processes.
