The European Commission has told Meta it must allow AI chatbots operated by rival firms to use WhatsApp for free, prompting a furious accusation of “regulatory overreach” from the tech giant and a pledge to appeal.
The order, which came as an interim measure while the EU conducts a full antitrust investigation into Meta’s decision to bar access for AI providers other than its own Meta AI, requires the company to reinstate third-party general-purpose AI assistants to the WhatsApp for Business API within five working days, under the same terms and conditions that were in place before the block was imposed.
“EU orders Meta to let rival AI chatbots use WhatsApp for free, prompting Meta to accuse Brussels of regulatory overreach.”
The Commission said the intervention was necessary to prevent “serious and irreparable harm to competition in this growing market by Meta’s conduct”, which it said appeared to breach EU competition rules. The investigation was launched in December 2025 after Meta banned those third-party assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API – a move that the EU said looked like an abuse of Meta’s dominant position in European markets.
“In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted,” said Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition. “This is why these interim measures will remain in place for the duration of the investigation.” She added the decision “preserved choice for citizens across Europe on the AI assistants they want to use with WhatsApp, without that decision being made for them.”
If Meta fails to comply, it could face fines of up to 10% of its total turnover. But Meta hit back, claiming the EU had effectively handed OpenAI and other huge AI companies free access to a paid service. “The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free,” the company said in a statement. “This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal.”
The dispute is the latest flashpoint in a long-running war of wills between European regulators and US tech giants. Last year, Meta warned of a “worse experience” for European users because of EU regulations, which came just after a fine imposed on the company – one of many handed out by the Brussels regulator. The tensions have also taken on a political dimension, with the Trump administration arguing that the EU and other jurisdictions are unfairly targeting American tech firms.
The Commission’s decision means that for now, rival AI assistants must be allowed back onto WhatsApp, giving European users a choice that Meta had sought to restrict. But with an appeal pending, the final outcome remains anything but certain.