Arabic version: الاتحاد الأوروبي يوجه ميتا للسماح بروبوتات الدردشة المنافسة على واتساب

The European Commission has mandated that Meta must grant rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp. This directive comes during an ongoing antitrust investigation into Meta’s exclusion of third-party AI providers from the messaging platform. The Commission stated that this measure is essential to avoid serious and irreparable harm to competition in the growing market, as Meta’s actions may violate EU competition laws. According to BBC News, Meta has reacted strongly, labeling the Commission’s decision as ‘regulatory overreach’ and announcing plans to appeal.

The investigation began in December 2025 after Meta restricted access to the WhatsApp for Business API for general-purpose AI assistants. The Commission described this as an abuse of Meta’s dominant market position in Europe. As an interim solution, Meta has been given five working days to restore access for third-party AI assistants under the same terms and conditions that were in place previously.

Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition, emphasized the importance of these interim measures to maintain competition in rapidly evolving markets. She noted that the decision ensures that European users can choose which AI assistants to use with WhatsApp, rather than having that choice dictated by Meta.

Meta has warned that the Commission’s ruling could allow major AI firms like OpenAI to use the paid WhatsApp Business service for free, which it claims is unfair to paying European companies. The ongoing disputes highlight the increasingly fraught relationship between European regulators and major U.S. tech companies. Meta previously warned that EU regulations could lead to a worse experience for European users, following a series of fines imposed by the EU aimed at curbing the market dominance of tech giants.