The European Union is preparing to open an EU antitrust probe into Meta over the company’s integration of artificial intelligence tools inside WhatsApp, according to a report published Thursday by the Financial Times.
The investigation marks another escalation in the bloc’s efforts to scrutinize the deployment of generative AI systems on large digital platforms.
Two officials familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the European Commission intends to examine how Meta introduced its Meta AI assistant into WhatsApp’s interface earlier this year across Europe.
The development reflects rising pressure on Silicon Valley companies over how they embed AI features into essential communication services.
Meta rolled out Meta AI on WhatsApp in March 2025, positioning it as a conversational assistant capable of generating real time information, answering user queries and helping with simple tasks.
The company has described the update as part of its broader strategy to place AI at the center of its apps. But the launch quickly drew regulatory attention.
Italy’s antitrust regulator opened an investigation in July alleging Meta may have leveraged its market power by embedding an AI tool directly into the platform’s design.
That inquiry was expanded in November to look at whether Meta prevented rival AI chatbots from operating within WhatsApp’s ecosystem.
The report said the new EU antitrust probe into Meta will be conducted under traditional competition rules rather than the Digital Markets Act, the bloc’s newer framework for monitoring dominant tech platforms.
The Commission has recently used the DMA to examine Amazon’s marketplace practices and Microsoft’s cloud business. Meta told Reuters it had not received details of the forthcoming investigation and referenced an earlier statement in which WhatsApp dismissed the Italian inquiry as “unfounded.”
Competition experts say the case reflects broader concerns about how AI might reinforce platform dominance.
“Embedding AI assistants directly into already massive platforms could limit the ability of competitors to innovate or reach users,” said Dr. Elena Strauss, a digital competition researcher at the University of Munich.
“Regulators want to ensure that AI doesn’t become another layer of market power.” Others argue that the EU is trying to set early boundaries before AI becomes deeply entrenched in communication infrastructure.
“The Commission is acting at a moment when generative AI is rapidly reshaping user behavior,” said Pierre Martin, a former adviser at France’s competition authority.
“An EU antitrust probe into Meta signals that Brussels intends to scrutinize the architecture of these tools, not just their outputs.”
Meta controls four of the world’s largest messaging or social platforms Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. WhatsApp alone has more than two billion users globally, including over three hundred million in Europe.
By comparison, rival AI assistants available in messaging apps such as Anthropic’s Claude or Google’s Gemini are not built into the core interfaces of major encrypted messaging platforms.
Regulators fear that Meta’s scale could create a structural advantage if its chatbot becomes the default assistant for millions of users.
A dataset published last year by the European Consumer Organization showed that seven out of ten Europeans rely on WhatsApp for daily communication, placing increased emphasis on the competitive consequences of integrating Meta AI into the app.
Users across Europe have mixed reactions to the new features. “I don’t mind AI tools in apps, but it should be optional and transparent,” said Sofia Brandt, a WhatsApp user in Berlin.
“If it becomes impossible to avoid, that raises concerns.” Some small developers believe the scrutiny could level the playing field.
“Startups like ours can compete on quality but not against a platform that integrates its own AI at the system level,” said Luka Djuric, founder of a Serbian chatbot startup. “An EU antitrust probe into Meta may help ensure fairness.”
However, others welcome the convenience of built in assistants. “For everyday tasks, having an AI inside WhatsApp is helpful,” said Matteo Ricci, an Italian university student. “I hope the investigation doesn’t delay innovation.”
The Commission is expected to announce the inquiry in the coming days, although the timing could shift. If formally opened, the EU antitrust probe into Meta would likely run in parallel with national investigations underway in Italy and other member states.
Legal analysts expect the case to influence how Europe approaches AI regulation outside the Digital Markets Act. It may also shape future requirements for interoperability and access for competing AI providers.
Meta could face fines or be required to modify how Meta AI functions inside WhatsApp if regulators conclude the integration harms competition.
The upcoming EU antitrust probe into Meta underscores the increasing regulatory pressure facing tech companies as they embed generative AI into widely used communication platforms.
While details remain limited, the investigation reflects Europe’s broader effort to balance innovation with competitive fairness in the fast moving AI sector.
