The European Commission is investigating WhatsApp for not allowing third party AI providers anymore | Infinium-tech
The European Commission is now launching an investigation into whether WhatsApp’s new policy that blocks AI providers from using their business tools to communicate with users could violate EU competition rules.
Prima facie, things are quite clear – WhatsApp owner Meta has Meta AI, which is featured very prominently in all its apps, including WhatsApp. And while competing AI providers are able to offer their chatbots inside WhatsApp, Meta recently banned third-party AI providers from using WhatsApp Business tools “when AI is the primary service offered”.
As a result, other AI chatbots will not be available through WhatsApp when the new policy takes effect on January 15. Meta’s new policy states that businesses can still use AI for assistive or support purposes, such as automated customer support, but no more than that.
The Electoral Commission says that, if proven, the practices under investigation could violate EU rules prohibiting abuse of a dominant position. It’s unclear how long the investigation will take, but we’ll keep you posted.
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