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WhatsApp, owned by Facebook parent Meta Platforms, rolled out
its AI chatbot feature for European Union users in March after
delays.
The Commission, which is the bloc's executive arm, said a recent
policy update could mean that rival AI companies are blocked
from offering their AI assistants on the platform, while Meta's
chatbot service remains accessible to users. Regulators are
scrutinizing new terms and conditions for business customers,
who can use AI assistants to communicate with customers over
WhatsApp.
Teresa Ribera, the commission's vice president overseeing
competition affairs, said the bloc wants to prevent Big Tech
companies from boxing out innovative competitors.
“This is why we are investigating if Meta’s new policy might be
illegal under competition rules, and whether we should act
quickly to prevent any possible irreparable harm to competition
in the AI space,” she said in a press statement.
The Commission's “claims are baseless,” WhatsApp said in a
statement. ”The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API
puts a strain on our systems that they were not designed to
support."
"Even still, the AI space is highly competitive and people have
access to the services of their choice in any number of ways,
including app stores, search engines, email services,
partnership integrations, and operating systems,” the company
said.
The investigation will cover all of the EU's 27 countries except
for Italy, where authorities have already opened their own
separate probe
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