Meta faces Italian competition investigation over WhatsApp AI chatbot
The watchdog said Meta may have violated European Union competition rules by integrating its Meta AI assistant into WhatsApp without user consent, a move that might harm its competitors.
The company said it was cooperating with the Rome-based authority and that its AI service benefited customers.
'Offering free access to our AI features in WhatsApp gives millions of Italians the choice to use AI in a place they already know, trust and understand," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The authority, known as AGCM, said it acted "in close cooperation with the relevant offices of the European Commission".
Meta AI, which provides chatbot-style responses and virtual assistant functions, has been part of WhatsApp's interface since March 2025, and was included in the app's search bar, the authority said.
The regulator said inclusion could unfairly steer users toward Meta's AI services, potentially harming competitors and locking users into the platform.
"By pairing Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta appears to be able to steer its user base into the new market not through merit-based competition, but by 'forcing' users to accept the availability of two distinct services, potentially harming competing services", the authority said.
Companies that breach EU competition rules by abusing a dominant position can be fined up to 10% of their worldwide turnover.
The authority said its officials carried out investigations at the offices of Meta's Italian subsidiary with the assistance of Italy's tax police special antitrust unit.
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Di rivalry wit China for who superior for AI make di company and US goment ignore more warning about im so call 'mis-alignment' - dis na word wey dem dey use describe wen di priority of machine no gel wit dat of human being. Di scenario predict say, tension between China and US for 2029 go build to di point of possible war, as each of di country rival AI go build new autonomous weapons wey go fear pipo. But di researchers imagine say di two countries go make peace sake of one deal wey dia two AI negotiate, wey agree to combine both sides for di betterment of human beings. Tins go gallant for years as di world go don see di true benefits of having super intelligent AI to run big robot workforces. According to di scenario, dem discover cures for most diseases, climate change go reverse and poverty go disappear. But eventually, at some point for middle of 2030 human beings go become nuisance to di AI ambition to grow. Di researchers dey tink say AI go kill human being wit invisible bioweapons. Wetin pipo dey tok about AI2027? Although some dey dismiss AI2027 as work of science fiction, di pipo wey write di research on AI2027 na pipo wey dem dey respect wella and na dem dey for di non-profit AI Futures Project wey dem bin set up to predict di impact of how AI go take affect us. Daniel Kokotajlo, di lead writer of AI2027, don collect hailing before for correct prediction wey im bin give about moments in AI development. One of di ogbonge critics of AI2027 na US cognitive scientist and writer Gary Marcus wey say di scenario no impossible but e dey extremely unlikely say e fit hapun soon. "Di beauty of di document be say e paint di picture very clear sotey e provoke pipo thinking and dat na good tin but I no go take am seriously as wetin fit hapun." Oga Marcus say more serious issues dey ground about AI dan existential threat like how e go take affect pipo work. "I tink di koko for di report na say e get plenty different tins wey fit go wrong wit AI. We dey do di right tins about regulation and around international treaties?" Im and odas like am, also say di paper fail to explain how AI take get dat kain intelligence and abilities. Dem refer to di slow technology of driverless cars wey dem don overhype. Dem dey discuss AI2027 for China? For China, pipo no too send di paper according to Dr Yundan Gong, wey be Associate Professor in Economics and Innovation for Kings College London wey specialise for Chinese technology. "Most of di discussion about AI2027 na for informal forums or for personal blogs wey dey see am like semi-science fiction. E no cause di kain debate or policy attention wey catch fire for US," she tok. Dr Gong also point to di difference in perspective for di competition for who pass who for AI between China and the US. 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E be like CEOs of big AI companies wey dey compete against each oda to see who go release di smarter model all di time deliberately ignore or avoid di paper. Dis tech giants vision of wetin AI go look like for future, dey very different to AI2027. Sam Altman, di maker of ChatGPT recently say "human beings dey close to building digital superintelligence" wey go usher in "gentle" revolution and bring tech utopia wit no risks to humans. Interestingly though, even im agree say e get 'alignment problem' wey dem must to overcome to make sure say dis super intelligent machines agree wit human beings. Anyhow wey tins take occur for di next ten years, e no get any doubt say di competition to build machines wey smart pass us dey on.
