EU orders Meta to open WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots

The European Union has told Meta it must urgently change how WhatsApp operates after ruling the company may have breached competition rules by restricting access to rival AI chatbots.

The warning follows a January update that allowed only Meta’s own assistant, Meta AI, to run on WhatsApp — effectively shutting out competitors such as ChatGPT and other third-party AI services. EU officials argue the move unfairly leverages WhatsApp’s dominance to give Meta an edge in the rapidly growing AI market.

“WhatsApp is an important entry point for AI chatbots to reach users,” said European Commission competition chief Teresa Ribera, adding that dominant tech firms cannot use their power in one market to distort competition in another.

Meta has pushed back strongly. A company spokesperson told the BBC the EU has “no reason” to intervene and claimed regulators had “incorrectly assumed” WhatsApp Business plays a central role in how people access AI chatbots.

The Commission has now invited Meta to formally respond to its preliminary findings. If unsatisfied, regulators could impose interim measures — potentially forcing Meta to reopen WhatsApp to third-party AI assistants while the investigation continues.

Legal experts say the case could become a landmark test of the EU’s tougher stance on Big Tech. “This shows companies operating in the EU cannot unfairly advantage themselves by controlling key digital gateways,” said Mathias Vermeulen, director at law firm AWO.

The action against Meta comes amid a wider regulatory crackdown. Just days earlier, the Commission warned TikTok over its “addictive design,” while Elon Musk’s X is also under investigation over concerns its AI tool Grok generated sexualised images of real people.

For Meta, the message from Brussels is clear: dominance comes with strings attached — especially in the AI race.