Brussels opens an investigation into WhatsApp over its artificial intelligence services

BrusselsNew research from European Commission against MetaBrussels announced on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into whether the artificial intelligence services offered by the tech giant WhatsApp violate European Union competition rules. Specifically, the European Commission fears that the US company is denying other AI providers access to its messaging application, which constitutes a breach of the free competition principles upheld by European regulations. The European Commission believes that Meta's new policy prohibits competing companies in the AI sector, such as OpenAI or Copilot, from using WhatsApp Business, only allowing them to use its technology for what it considers minor purposes, such as customer service communication, but not for developing new tools that could compete with them. Brussels criticizes the fact that, while "competing AI providers may be blocked from reaching their WhatsApp customers" and, therefore, developing their technology and business model in the European Union, the same company's service, Meta AI, will continue to have access, which could give it a competitive advantage. "We must ensure that European citizens and businesses can fully benefit from the AI technological revolution, and we must act to prevent dominant digital players from abusing their power to displace innovative competitors," said Teresa Ribera, Vice-President and Commissioner for Competitiveness of the European Commission, in a statement.

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These types of investigations can last up to a year, and if the European Commission concludes that Meta has violated EU law, it can impose a fine of up to 10% of the tech giant's total international revenue. Later, if the US company refuses to take steps to cease violating the Digital Services Act, the financial penalty can increase to 20% of the company's revenue. However, it is common for large US tech companies to coordinate and work closely with EU authorities to avoid financial penalties or ending up in the Luxembourg courts.