EU Clashes with Meta Over AI Assistant Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission plans to impose interim measures on Meta Platforms after the company reinstated artificial intelligence assistants from competitors on WhatsApp, charging a fee. The Commission asserts that Meta's revised policy potentially breaches EU competition rules by excluding third-party AI assistants from the platform.

The European Commission announced on Wednesday its intention to impose interim measures on Meta Platforms. This decision comes after the U.S. tech giant allowed the integration of rival AI assistants on its WhatsApp messaging service for a fee.

According to the Commission, Meta's revised policy could effectively exclude third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp, potentially violating EU competition regulations. The executive arm of the EU expressed concerns in a statement, stating the new policy appears, at first glance, to breach these rules.

In March, Meta informed the Commission of its plan to permit competing AI assistants on WhatsApp for one year, contingent upon a fee. However, the EU is now scrutinizing this arrangement closely.