EU competition regulators have warned Meta Platforms that they may intervene to stop the company from blocking rival artificial intelligence services from WhatsApp, as part of an investigation into suspected abuse of market dominance.
The European Commission has sent Meta a statement of objections examining how the company treats competing AI chatbots on its WhatsApp messaging platform. Regulators said they intend to impose interim measures after Meta changed its policies to prevent rival chatbots from accessing a tool used by businesses to communicate with customers on WhatsApp.
EU officials believe Meta may be abusing its dominant position in consumer messaging by denying other companies access to WhatsApp, which they view as a critical gateway for AI assistants to reach users.
Meta reiterated that there is no justification for regulatory intervention. “There is no reason for the EU to intervene in the WhatsApp Business API,” a spokesperson said in an email, adding that the Commission’s logic “incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API is a key distribution channel for chatbots”.
In October, Meta announced a new policy that effectively barred developers of rival chatbots, such as ChatGPT, from using WhatsApp’s business interface. The Commission opened its investigation in December, with competition commissioner Teresa Ribera stating at the time that interim measures—effectively an injunction on business practices—were under consideration.
The Commission said there was an “urgent need” for protective action. “Meta’s conduct risks raising barriers to entry and expansion, and irreversibly marginalising smaller competitors in the market for general-purpose AI assistants,” regulators said.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, has also developed its own general-purpose assistant, Meta AI. In its preliminary assessment, the Commission said Meta is likely dominant in the consumer messaging market, with WhatsApp serving as a crucial access point for AI assistants.
By restricting access to the platform, regulators argue, Meta could make it harder for new AI tools to enter or compete in the market.
Ribera, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, said, “Artificial intelligence is delivering remarkable innovations for consumers, including the emergence of AI assistants. We must protect effective competition in this dynamic sector and ensure dominant companies do not illegally leverage their position to gain an unfair advantage.”
According to the Commission, Meta updated its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms in October 2025, effectively banning all rival AI assistants. Since January 15, 2026, Meta AI has been the only AI tool available on WhatsApp.
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