- The European Commission is launching an in-depth investigation into Meta
- WhatsApp’s AI policies may hinder competition with AI-powered chatbots
- Meta faces $16.5 billion in fines
The European Commission has done it Start a formal antitrust investigation by Meta to determine whether WhatsApp’s AI policies limit competition by blocking competing AI chatbot providers.
The European issue affects a large part of the Union, with the exception of Italy, which has separately launched its own investigation.
Meta’s updated WhatsApp Business API terms prohibit distribution of third-party AI chatbots via WhatsApp if your primary service provides AI.
WhatsApp’s AI policy worries the European Commission
The EU fears that Meta may abuse its dominant market position to favor its Meta AI over its competitors. Some developers have already filed complaints, saying the policy hurts competition and innovation.
OpenAI and Microsoft were already forced to remove their chatbots from the platform after revised terms were introduced in October.
“AI markets are booming in Europe and beyond. We need to ensure that European citizens and businesses can take full advantage of this technological revolution and take action to prevent large digital companies from abusing their power to drive out innovative competitors,” wrote Teresa Ribera, European Commission Vice-President for a clean, fair and competitive transition.
The investigation may lead to interim measures and suspension of Meta’s policy before a final decision is made. If Meta is found guilty, the company could be fined up to 10% of annual global revenue, or $16.5 billion based on 2024 revenue.
The company has already done that. he was in trouble In the EU, a fine of 200 million euros was imposed under the Digital Markets Act.
“The emergence of AI chatbots in our trading API places a burden on our systems for which they were not designed,” a Meta spokesperson said, calling the allegations “baseless.”
“However, the AI space is highly competitive and people access the services of their choice in a variety of ways, including app stores, search engines, messaging services, association integrations and operating systems.”
The European Commission promises to “do an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority.”