Italian antitrust watchdog has launched an investigation into Meta, claiming the tech giant is effectively forcing WhatsApp users to use its artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
The Italian antitrust authority Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) has accused Meta of violating the European Union's competition laws by integrating its AI chatbot into its messaging app WhatsApp, potentially abusing its "dominant position" in the market to promote its own AI services.
“Starting from March 2025, Meta, which holds a dominant position in the app-based communication services market, decided to pre-install its artificial intelligence service on the WhatsApp app,” AGCM wrote in a statement.
"In doing so, Meta may be 'imposing' the use of its chatbot and AI assistance services on its users," the antitrust authority continued.
It said that by linking Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta appears to be steering its users into the AI market not through fair competition, but by forcing the two services together in violation of EU law.
On Tuesday, antitrust officials inspected Meta's Italian offices, the regulator said.
Concerns over Meta's AI models are not unique to Italy, with the Irish data protection authority scrutinising its use of users' data.
The technology giant’s AI tool had raised concerns in Brussels. It launched its AI models in Europe earlier this year, after a delay due to "regulatory uncertainty".
Meanwhile, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, launched an inquiry in March into whether Meta's AI tool falls within the scope of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Meta owns several major social media and messaging platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
