Italian antitrust authorities have opened an investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. over the integration of its artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI, into the WhatsApp messaging platform. The probe centers on potential violations of European Union competition laws.
In a statement released Wednesday, Italy’s Competition Authority (AGCM) expressed concern that Meta may have abused its dominant market position by pre-installing Meta AI on WhatsApp without offering users a genuine choice.
The regulator noted that this move could unfairly steer WhatsApp’s vast user base into the emerging AI services market.
“Meta may be ‘imposing’ the use of its chatbot and AI assistance services on its users,” the statement read, adding that the integration could harm competitors by bypassing merit-based competition.
The authority also warned that users might become “locked in” to the service, as Meta AI’s functionality improves with continued use, potentially creating a form of dependency.
On Tuesday, inspectors from the antitrust agency, accompanied by Italy’s Financial Police, conducted a search of Meta’s Italian offices. The investigation is being carried out in coordination with the European Commission.
