EU plans to launch AI investigation on Meta (META.US) on WhatsApp to launch an antitrust investigation. Generative AI apps face stronger scrutiny

The Zhitong Finance App learned that the European Union plans to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms (META.US)'s introduction of artificial intelligence functions in WhatsApp. The move reflects increasing scrutiny by regulators of big tech companies using generative artificial intelligence on major platforms.

Two officials said the European Commission plans to launch an investigation into the California-based company's integration of the “Meta AI” system into the communications service earlier this year.

Since March 2025, the chatbot and virtual assistant “Meta AI” have been built into the WhatsApp interface in the European market. Meta said it had not received details of the investigation and quoted an earlier WhatsApp statement in response to the Italian investigation, saying the investigation was “unfounded.”

Italy's antitrust regulator launched an investigation in July accusing Meta of harnessing its market power by integrating AI tools into WhatsApp. The investigation was further expanded in November to examine whether Meta is further abusing its dominant position by blocking rival AI chatbots on the communication platform.

The European Commission is expected to announce the investigation in the next few days, but the exact timing may change. The investigation will be conducted based on traditional antitrust rules rather than the EU's iconic Digital Market Act, which is currently being used to review potential restrictions on Amazon (AMZN.US) and Microsoft (MSFT.US) cloud services.