The European Commission has notified Meta of its preliminary findings that the company may have breached EU antitrust laws by preventing third-party Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants from accessing WhatsApp. This exclusion could hinder competition in the rapidly growing AI assistant market.

On October 15, 2025, Meta updated its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms, effectively banning third-party AI assistants from the platform. As a result, since January 15, 2026, only Meta's own AI assistant, Meta AI, is available on WhatsApp, raising concerns about anti-competitive behavior.

The Commission's investigation suggests that Meta holds a dominant position in the European Economic Area (EEA) market for consumer communication applications, particularly through WhatsApp. The Commission believes that Meta's actions may constitute an abuse of this dominance by denying access to competitors, which could significantly raise barriers to entry and harm smaller rivals in the AI assistant market.

Due to the potential for serious and irreparable damage to competition, the Commission is considering imposing interim measures to prevent further harm while the investigation continues. Meta has the opportunity to respond to the Commission's concerns before any final decisions are made.

The Statement of Objections applies to the EEA, excluding Italy, where the Italian Competition Authority has already imposed interim measures on Meta. The Commission's actions are guided by Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which prohibits the abuse of a dominant market position.