EU investigating Meta over policy change that bans rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp

Meta’s transfer to serve solely its AI chatbot, Meta AI, to WhatsApp customers isn’t sitting effectively with the competitors regulators in Europe. The European Fee on Thursday said it’s launching an antitrust investigation into Meta’s transfer to ban different AI firms from utilizing WhatsApp’s enterprise instruments to supply their very own AI chatbots to customers on the app.

WhatsApp in October changed its business API policy to ban general-purpose chatbots from the chat app, saying that the API isn’t designed to be a platform for the distribution of chatbots. The coverage change, which works into impact in January, would have an effect on the provision of AI chatbots from the likes of OpenAI, Perplexity, and Poke on the app.

Notably, this transfer doesn’t have an effect on companies which are utilizing AI to serve prospects on WhatsApp. As an example, a retailer operating an AI-powered customer support bot received’t be barred from utilizing the API. Solely AI chatbots like ChatGPT are prohibited from being distributed by way of the API.

In its assertion, the EU’s government arm stated it was involved that the coverage might “stop third-party AI suppliers from providing their providers by WhatsApp within the European Financial Space (‘EEA’).”

“On account of the brand new coverage, competing AI suppliers could also be blocked from reaching their prospects by WhatsApp. Then again, Meta’s personal AI service ‘Meta AI’ would stay accessible to customers on the platform,” the Fee wrote.

“AI markets are booming in Europe and past. We should guarantee European residents and companies can profit absolutely from this technological revolution and act to forestall dominant digital incumbents from abusing their energy to crowd out progressive opponents,” Teresa Ribera, government vice-president for Clear, Simply and Aggressive Transition on the European Fee, stated in a press release.

“That is why we’re investigating if Meta’s new coverage could be unlawful below competitors guidelines, and whether or not we should always act rapidly to forestall any attainable irreparable hurt to competitors within the AI house.”

If Meta is discovered responsible of breaching EU’s antitrust guidelines, it might be fined as much as 10% of its world annual income, and the Fee might impose extra measures on the corporate.

Meta didn’t instantly return a request for remark.