Meta opens WhatsApp to AI rivals for a year amid EU antitrust pressure

Meta Platforms has announced a significant shift in its European operations, confirming it will permit rival artificial intelligence chatbots to access WhatsApp for twelve months.

This bold initiative follows intense pressure from European Union antitrust regulators, who recently threatened interim measures to prevent "irreparable harm" to competition.

Meta had previously barred competitors on 15 January, maintaining an exclusive environment for its own Meta AI assistant.

The tech giant has now informed the European Commission that it will allow rival providers to operate on the messaging service for a fee.

"For the next 12 months, we'll support general-purpose AI chatbots using the WhatsApp Business API in Europe in response to the European Commission's regulatory process," a Meta spokesperson said.

The company added, "We believe that this removes the need for any immediate intervention, as it gives the European Commission the time it needs to conclude its investigation."

However, the move has met with sharp criticism from industry competitors. Marvin von Hagen, CEO of the Interaction Company of California, dismissed the gesture as a strategic facade.

"What Meta presents as good-faith compliance is in reality the opposite. The company is now introducing vexatious pricing for AI providers that makes it just as impossible to operate on WhatsApp as the outright ban did," he stated.

Similar regulatory battles are currently unfolding in Italy and Brazil, where courts have also challenged Meta’s restrictive practices.

As the Commission continues its broader antitrust investigation, the global tech industry is watching closely to see if these concessions truly foster a fair digital marketplace.