The EU to Launch Antitrust Probe on Meta Over Integration of AI into WhatsApp
In Focus
- The EU plans to commence the probe on Meta Platforms
- The probe will examine whether WhatsApp AI complies with EU competition rules
- Italian regulators are already probing Meta over WhatsApp AI
The European Commission plans to launch an antitrust probe against Meta Platforms over the introduction of AI features in its messaging app, WhatsApp. According to Reuters, EU’s Meta probe over AI in WhatsApp points to the growing scrutiny on the use of generative AI by major technology companies.
EU Probe to Focus on Meta AI System
The Meta WhatsApp AI investigation is expected to commence the probe in the coming days, with a focus on the Meta AI system rollout into the messaging app. Meta built its chatbot and virtual assistant into the WhatsApp interface and started rolling it out across the EU in March 2025.
Meta AI generates prompts and text suggestions directly in chats. During the probe, regulators will be examining whether Meta’s rollout of AI-powered features inside WhatsApp complies with EU competition rules. The Meta AI integration scrutiny will be conducted under the EU’s traditional antitrust framework.
The EU is launching the probe into Whatsapp’s generative AI controversy weeks after Meta introduced an Instagram Notes-like feature for short text updates into the messaging app. The new feature changes how brief, status-style messages appear on the platform.
Italian Regulators Probe Meta Over WhatsApp AI
Meta is yet to receive details of the EU probe. The EU probe comes at a time when the social media giant is being investigated by Italian authorities over WhatsApp AI. Italian regulators are examining Meta over allegations that the company is using its dominant position to integrate AI features into WhatsApp without obtaining user consent.
Authorities in Italy have expanded their investigations to include changes to WhatsApp Business terms and newly added AI tools, arguing that the updated policies might limit production, market access or technical developments in the AI Chatbot services market. The expanded probe reflects the concerns about the competitive implications of embedding AI tools into widely used communication platforms in the EU.
The EU’s Tightening Scrutiny Over U.S. Tech Companies
The 2025 EU probe on Meta adds to a series of regulatory actions that are targeting major U.S. technology companies. Recently, the EU started investigating Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS to determine whether they should be designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Search giant Google and Apple have also been facing antitrust charges in the EU over App Store and self-promotion practices. The probe focuses on search result manipulation, preferential treatment of Google’s own products, and third-party app developers limits.
Additionally, Apple could face fresh antitrust lawsuits in the Netherlands after the region’s highest court ruled that the tech giant can be sued in a Dutch court. The tech company, which had been sued for charging excessive App Store commissions, had argued that the alleged harmful events did not occur in the Netherlands, and a Dutch court had no jurisdiction to hear the case.
