The European Commission has launched a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms over concerns that its rollout of artificial intelligence tools inside WhatsApp may be restricting competition in the fast-growing generative AI market.
The probe first reported by Reuters and the Financial Times focuses on Meta’s new policy governing how external AI providers can access WhatsApp. The company began embedding its Meta AI assistant directly into the messaging app earlier this year across European markets, a move regulators fear could sideline rival chatbot developers.
A WhatsApp spokesperson rejected the allegations, calling them “baseless” and arguing that the rapid emergence of AI chatbots has placed “a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support.” The company added that the broader AI ecosystem remains “highly competitive”, with users able to access numerous alternatives through app stores, search engines, email platforms, operating systems and third-party integrations.
Meta AI
Meta AI described as both a chatbot and a virtual assistant has been incorporated into WhatsApp’s interface since March 2025.
The EU’s action adds to growing scrutiny of Big Tech’s deployment of generative AI, as policymakers attempt to encourage innovation without allowing dominant platforms to consolidate control over emerging markets.
Italy’s antitrust authority has already opened a parallel investigation. Launched in July, the Italian probe examines whether Meta abused its market power by embedding its AI assistant directly into WhatsApp; in November, investigators widened the inquiry to include allegations that Meta actively blocked competing AI chatbots from operating on the platform.
According to officials cited by the Financial Times, the EU inquiry will proceed under traditional competition law rather than the bloc’s Digital Markets Act, a legislation currently being used to assess whether Amazon and Microsoft are using their cloud businesses to stifle rivals.
The latest investigation underscores regulators’ increasing concern that generative AI integrations within dominant apps could give major tech companies an unfair advantage.