Meta faces Italian antitrust probe over WhatsApp AI integration

Facebook-parent Meta is reportedly facing competition investigation in Italy over its new AI chatbot integrated in its popular messaging app WhatsApp. As reported by Reuters, Italy’s antirust watchdog AGCM has started an investigation into Meta Platforms, alleging that the company may have abused its dominant market position by integrating its Meta AI chatbot into WhatsApp without obtaining user consent. The probe mainly revolves around concerns that embedding Meta AI directly into WhatsApp’s search bar could unfairly push users towards Meta services. This move of the company may potentially distort competition and harm rival AI platforms.“By pairing Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta appears to be able to steer its user base into the new market not through merit-based competition, but by ‘forcing’ users to accept the availability of two distinct services,” the authority stated.AGCM also suspects that Meta’s move may also violate European Union competition rules, particularly around user autonomy and fair market access. The regulator is also investigating whether the integration was done without explicit user consent, raising privacy and ethical concerns.“Offering free access to our AI features in WhatsApp gives millions of Italians the choice to use AI in a place they already know, trust and understand,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.The investigation will focus on whether the AI chatbot's integration into WhatsApp could potentially restrict competition or create an unfair advantage for Meta's other services. WhatsApp boasts a massive user base in Italy, making any new feature that could steer user behaviour a subject of intense regulatory scrutiny.