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Meta Platforms has been directed by European Union antitrust regulators to provide competing artificial intelligence chatbot developers, including OpenAI, with free access to WhatsApp while authorities continue examining allegations that the company unfairly restricted rivals from the messaging platform.
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According to Reuters, the European Commission imposed the interim measure after receiving complaints from several AI companies, including California-based The Interaction Company, which develops the Poke.com AI assistant, French startup Agentik, and a Spanish competitor. The complaints led the Commission to launch a formal investigation in December into Meta’s conduct.
The EU competition watchdog subsequently issued formal charges against Meta in February, alleging violations of European antitrust rules. Per Reuters, regulators added further accusations in April after Meta introduced fees for access to the platform.
European Commission Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition Teresa Ribera said the fees imposed by Meta were so high that competitors could not reasonably sustain their businesses under those conditions. She also rejected the company’s explanations for the pricing structure.
“It seems that Meta expects to leverage the vast reach and likely dominance of WhatsApp to benefit its own AI assistant and to foreclose rivals,” Ribera told a press conference.
Read more: Italy Ends Meta WhatsApp AI Probe as EU Investigation Expands
Ribera stressed that intervention was necessary because of the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence services. “It is now a critical time. AI markets are developing exceptionally fast and AI systems are expected to become an important way for consumers all across Europe to access and use AI,” she said.
According to Reuters, the interim order will remain in effect for the duration of the investigation or until June 2029, whichever comes first.
The dispute centers on Meta’s handling of the WhatsApp Business application programming interface (API), which enables businesses to integrate their own systems with the messaging service. Reuters reported that Meta blocked rival AI providers from accessing the API in October while continuing to allow its own Meta AI assistant to operate on the platform.
The company later reinstated access for competitors in March but required them to pay fees, a move that triggered objections from EU regulators and contributed to the latest enforcement action.
Meta criticized the Commission’s decision and indicated it would challenge the order.
“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,” a Meta spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
“This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal.”
Meta has previously argued that consumers can access a wide range of AI services through app stores, operating systems, devices, websites and industry partnerships, suggesting that WhatsApp is only one of many available channels for AI providers.
Source: Reuters
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