EU threatens to force Meta to restore WhatsApp full access for rival AI chatbots

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LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators have threatened to force WhatsApp parent Meta Platforms to reverse a move that they say effectively limits the AI chatbots of rival companies from accessing the messaging app.

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.”