Italy opens probe into Meta over AI tool in WhatsApp
Meta
for potentially breaking
EU competition laws
by installing its
AI tool
into WhatsApp.
Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Several months ago, its
Meta AI
tool appeared on the screens of the WhatsApp messaging service.
"In March 2025, Meta, which holds a dominant position in the market for
consumer communications apps
, decided to pre-install its
artificial intelligence
service on the WhatsApp app," Italy's antitrust body said in a statement.
"In doing so, Meta may be 'imposing' the use of its chatbot and AI assistance services on its users."
It said merging Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta could be "channelling its customer base into the emerging market, not through merit-based competition, but by 'imposing' the availability of the two distinct services upon users, potentially harming competitors."
The antitrust authority said it carried out an inspection of the premises of Meta's Italian subsidiary on Tuesday along with
Italy's Financial Police
.
It also said it was investigating the company "in close cooperation with the competent departments of the
European Commission
".
Italian authorities said there is a risk users could become "locked in" or "functionally dependent on Meta AI as "by using the information provided over time, it appears the responses generated by the service become increasingly useful and relevant."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Elon Musk's xAI to sign chapter on safety and security in EU's AI code of practice
Elon Musk's xAI on Thursday said it will sign a chapter on safety and security from the European Union's code of practice, which aims to help companies comply with the bloc's landmark artificial intelligence rules. Signing up to the code, which was drawn up by 13 independent experts, is voluntary, and companies that decline to do so will not benefit from the legal certainty provided to a signatory. The EU's code has three chapters: transparency, copyright and safety and security. While the guidance on transparency and copyright will apply to all general-purpose AI providers, the chapters on safety and security target providers of the most advanced models. "xAI supports AI safety and will be signing the EU AI Act's Code of Practice Chapter on Safety and Security. While the AI Act and the Code have a portion that promotes AI safety, its other parts contain requirements that are profoundly detrimental to innovation and its copyright provisions are clearly (an) over-reach," xAI said in a post on X. The company did not respond to a request outside regular business hours for comment on whether it plans to sign the other two chapters of the code. Alphabet's Google has previously said it would sign the code of practice, while Microsoft's President Brad Smith has said that the company would likely sign it. Facebook-owner Meta has said it will not be signing the code, saying that it introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act.
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
What opponents of the EU-US trade deal get wrong
The critics were quick to jump in. Soon after the European Commission struck its trade deal with President Donald Trump on July 27th, it was being savaged in European capitals. François Bayrou, the French prime minister, called it a 'dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submit'. Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, worried about 'severe damage' to the German economy. Viktor Orban, Hungary's populist leader, twisted the knife, saying that Mr Trump 'ate Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast'. The deal is certainly unlike any other the EU has struck before. Exports to America will face a tariff of 15%, lower than the 30% that had been threatened had no deal been struck, but nearly ten times as high as the rate that prevailed before Mr Trump returned to the White House. In turn, the EU will eliminate its own tariffs on imports of American industrial goods, and provide easier access for some farm produce. The bloc is also expected to buy more energy from America, and invest hundreds of billions across the Atlantic. For those who see trade as a zero-sum game in which deficits are for losers and exporters are winners, the EU got fleeced. The naysayers are misguided, however. Unfortunately, Mr Trump's love of tariffs means the old days of low duties are not coming back while he is in power. And the deal is not as catastrophic as its critics claim. The EU has secured similar terms to Japan's, so its relative trading position remains the same. Cars made in Europe will no longer face higher, sectoral duties. And the EU has not had to surrender its plans to regulate digital services, which mainly hit America's tech giants. Some bemoan the asymmetry of the deal; that European manufacturers face tariffs, while Americans gain market access. But trade is not a zero-sum game. European consumers will benefit from greater choice and lower prices, whereas the bulk of the tariff cost will be borne by American businesses and shoppers, even if some foreign firms do cut their prices. Last, the broader geopolitical context meant that escalation was never an attractive option for the EU. If trade were the only thing on the agenda, the bloc could have better afforded to hit back, in the hope of forcing America to relent. But 'it is [also] about security, it is about Ukraine,' Maros Sefcovic, the EU's trade commissioner, has said about the negotiations. Because Europe has for decades outsourced its security to America, it needed to offer trade terms that would keep a mercurial president happy and willing to stay engaged in Europe. The EU's critics ignore the fact that its problems run deeper than a single trade deal. The economy badly needs reform, innovation and investment, as Mario Draghi, a former head of the European Central Bank, laid out in a colossal report in 2024. Mr Trump's 15% transatlantic tariff pales in comparison with the cost of internal trade frictions; the IMF reckons barriers within the eu amount to a staggering 44% tariff on goods and 110% on services. Europe's capital markets are too shallow and fragmented to fund risky, innovative ideas. And the continent is far from adding the extra investments needed to close the productivity gap. Rather than focusing on what America is doing wrong, the EU should look closer to home. Member states are stymieing reform. Germany is loth to boost its own capital markets, let alone integrate capital markets across Europe. France is the biggest obstacle to making more trade deals that would help diversify exporters' markets. Almost a year since the Draghi report, barely any of its recommendations have been acted on. Damaging as a trade war would have been, it might at least have shaken politicians out of their torpor. Instead of pointing fingers, the critics should roll up their sleeves.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Mark Zuckerberg makes a bold AI prediction and warning: People without ... will be at a significant disadvantage in the future
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made a bold prediction that individuals who don't adopt AI-powered smart glasses in the future, they will face 'significant cognitive disadvantage,' compared to those who do. Speaking during Meta's Q2 earnings call, Zuckerberg stressed in the fact that smart glass will become the primary interface for AI. Meta CEO mentioned that in the future smart glasses will enable users to see, hear and interact with digital intelligence throughout their day. 'Glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI,' he said. 'If you don't have glasses that have AI—or some way to interact with AI—you're probably going to be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people.' The future of AI wearable During Meta's second-quarter earnings call and elaborated upon in a blog post on "superintelligence," Meta CEO underscores the company's deep commitment to wearable AI as the next dominant computing platform. Zuckerberg believes that smart glassed are said to become the primary interface for AI due to their ability to integrate in daly life. 'I continue to think that glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, [and] talk to you," he stated. Zuckerberg also believes in a future where intelligent eyewear devices with holographic displays will offer instant answers, object recognition, language translation on the basis of user's environment. "I think in the future, if you don't have AI glasses, you're basically going to be at a cognitive disadvantage, too," Zuckerberg warned, drawing a parallel to the necessity of vision correction for those with impaired sight. 'If trends continue, then you'd expect people to spend less time in productivity software, and more time creating and connecting. Personal superintelligence that knows us deeply, understands our goals, and can help us achieve them will be by far the most useful. Personal devices like glasses that understand our context because they can see what we see, hear what we hear, and interact with us throughout the day will become our primary computing devices,' added Zuckerberg. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The boy meets a dog on the street - no one expected what happened next. Women's Method Learn More Undo Zuckerberg's comments align with Meta's vision of AI-integrated eyewear which incudes Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta smart glasses . Both the wearables enable users to take photos, interact with Meta AI, listen to music and more. Along with this, Meta is also working on next-generation AI glasses such as Orion which is said to house holographic displays with improved AI capabilities. Despite the optimism, Meta's Reality Labs division, which oversees its AR and VR efforts, reported a $4.53 billion operating loss in Q2. Since 2020, the unit has lost nearly $70 billion, raising questions about the long-term viability of Meta's hardware strategy. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
