BRUSSELS: The European Union is preparing a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms concerning its rollout of artificial intelligence features in WhatsApp, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The probe reflects growing scrutiny of Big Tech’s use of generative AI on widely used platforms.
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According to the report, EU officials are set to examine how Meta integrated its Meta AI system, a chatbot and virtual assistant, into WhatsApp earlier this year. Meta AI has been embedded in the messaging service across European markets since March 2025.
Meta told Reuters that it has not received formal notice of the EU probe and referred to an earlier WhatsApp statement regarding Italy’s ongoing inquiry, which it called unfounded. Italy’s antitrust watchdog launched an investigation in July over allegations that Meta leveraged its market dominance by integrating AI into WhatsApp. In November, the probe expanded to assess whether Meta blocked rival AI chatbots from the platform.
EU to launch antitrust probe into Meta over use of AI in WhatsApp https://t.co/RV4vIKO7xk#news #ft
— jain Sumeet China (coffee with sumeet jain) (@Sumeetmountain) December 4, 2025
The EU commission is expected to announce the investigation officially in the coming days, although the timing could shift. The Financial Times said the probe will proceed under traditional antitrust rules rather than the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the EU’s landmark legislation currently used to examine cloud services of companies like Amazon and Microsoft for potential anti-competitive practices.
The development adds to mounting European regulatory pressure on Meta, which has faced multiple investigations over data privacy, market dominance, and content moderation practices. The Commission has not provided any comment regarding the WhatsApp AI probe.
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This investigation highlights the increasing attention EU regulators are giving to the competitive implications of integrating advanced AI tools in social media and messaging platforms, raising potential concerns about market fairness and consumer choice.