|
Meta's attempt to resolve the bloc’s antitrust investigation of
WhatsApp by charging third-party AI companies for access is
unsatisfactory, the European Commission said Wednesday.
The commission, which is the 27-nation bloc's executive arm and
top antitrust enforcer, opened the investigation last year over
concerns that WhatsApp was blocking competing artificial
intelligence companies from offering their AI assistants on the
platform.
Officials said Meta's decision in March to start charging
third-party AI providers for access was essentially equivalent
to the ban it had in place.
“Replacing the legal ban with pricing that has a similar effect
does not change our preliminary view that Meta’s conduct appears
to be an abuse of its dominant position, that may seriously harm
competition on the market for AI assistants,” Teresa Ribera, the
commission’s executive vice president overseeing competition,
said in a statement.
When Brussels opened its investigation in December, officials
said they were scrutinizing new terms and conditions that
blocked providers of AI chatbots from using a tool to
communicate with customers.
The bloc said it intends to issue its order to reinstate access
for third-party chatbots under previous terms until it reaches a
final decision on the case.
Meta said the commission’s decision means that the company will
have to provide its service for free and would amount to
subsidizing select companies rather than clearing the way for
more competition.
It could mean, for example, that “a small bakery in France
paying to use the service to take croissant orders will be
picking up the tab for OpenAI,” Meta said of one of its
competitors in a statement. "Small European businesses shouldn’t
foot OpenAI’s bill.”
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
|
|
