EU regulators order Meta to give rival AI chatbots free WhatsApp access

European Union antitrust enforcers have ordered Meta Platforms to provide competing AI chatbots with free access to its WhatsApp messaging service. The European Commission, the EU's competition watchdog, issued the interim measure on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into whether Meta has abused its dominant market position.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from several AI developers, including The Interaction Company, developer of the Poke.com AI assistant, French startup Agentik, and a Spanish competitor. These companies alleged that Meta blocked rivals from accessing its WhatsApp for Business application programming interface (API), which allows businesses to connect their systems to the popular messaging app.

Meta initially barred rival AI services from its WhatsApp API in October last year, while exempting its own Meta AI assistant. It later allowed competitors back onto the platform for a fee in March, a move that drew objections from the Commission. The interim measure mandates that Meta must restore rivals' access to the WhatsApp for Business API under the same terms and conditions that were in place before October, and must comply within five working days.

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In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted. These interim measures will safeguard competition in the growing market for AI assistants, by preserving a key entry point to reach consumers in Europe – WhatsApp – and allowing AI companies to innovate, scale up and reach their full potential.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager stated that the interim measures are crucial for safeguarding competition in the rapidly evolving market for AI assistants. "In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted," Vestager said. "These interim measures will safeguard competition in the growing market for AI assistants, by preserving a key entry point to reach consumers in Europe – WhatsApp – and allowing AI companies to innovate, scale up and reach their full potential."

A Meta spokesperson criticized the Commission's decision, calling it "regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay." The company announced its intention to appeal the order. If Meta is found to have breached EU antitrust rules, it could face a fine of up to 10 percent of its global annual turnover.

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The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free. This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal.