In a surprising update, the Italian government has ordered Meta to suspend a new policy banning rival artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots that use WhatsApp's business tools, following concerns that the company may be abusing its market dominance.
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) said Meta's policy, which will come into force from January, could restrict production, market access and technological development in the AI chatbot sector, potentially impacting consumers and competition.
The AGCM investigation began after Meta changed its business API rules in October to restrict access of general-purpose AI chatbots such as Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, and Poke from instant messaging apps.
Meta further maintained that its API was not specifically designed to distribute third-party chatbots, and emphasized that companies that use AI for customer service, including retailers, remain unaffected.
Italian authorities said the policy could cause “serious and irreparable harm” while the investigation was ongoing.
This significant move coincides with broader European scrutiny of Big Tech, as the European Commission has also launched a parallel investigation into similar accusations.
In particular, regulators are concerned that Meta's rules effectively exclude competitors from the AI chatbot market on WhatsApp.
Mehta called the decision “fundamentally flawed” and argued that the emergence of third-party AI chatbots is straining WhatsApp's systems.
The AGCM confirmed its collaboration with the European Commission to ensure effective supervision and underlined the increased focus on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and increased competition across Europe.
