The Autorité de la concurrence in France has initiated ex officio inquiries into the competitive functioning of the conversational agent sector, following its previous analysis of generative AI. This inquiry aims to assess the competitive implications of conversational agents, particularly in the context of e-commerce, where their usage has surged by over 60% in 2024.

Conversational agents, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and others, are becoming increasingly prevalent, with a concentration of users among younger demographics. The Autorité will focus on the business models of these agents, their integration into existing services, and the potential for them to evolve into platforms that facilitate direct access to third-party services.

Key issues under examination include the role of advertising within conversational agents, partnerships among developers, and the transformation of these agents into more complex platforms. The inquiry will not cover the relationship between conversational agents and search engines.

The Autorité plans to conduct a public consultation to gather insights and will issue its final opinion in 2026, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the agentic commerce value chain and its competitive challenges.