Italy's Antitrust authority (AGCM) said Wednesday that it has opened a probe into Meta for having decided to pre-install its artificial intelligence service on its WhatsApp app, saying that, in doing so, the Web giant may be "imposing" the use of its chatbot and AI assistance tools on its users.
    AGCM said it was investigating Meta Platforms Inc., Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, WhatsApp Ireland Limited and Facebook Italy S.r.l.

for allegedly breaching EU law with a suspected abuse of its dominant position.
    "Meta AI is a Chatbot or AI Assistant service that uses artificial intelligence technology to respond to general-purpose queries of various kinds and to offer forms of interaction similar to virtual assistants," the authority said.
    "By combining Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta appears capable of channelling its customer base into the emerging market, not through merit-based competition, but by 'imposing' the availability of the two distinct services upon users, potentially harming competitors.
    "According to the Authority, there is thus a risk that users may become 'locked in' or functionally dependent on Meta AI, not least because, by using the information provided over time, it appears that the responses generated by the service become increasingly useful and relevant".
    A Meta spokesperson said the company was fully cooperating with the Antitrust Authority in the probe while stressing that "offering free access to AI features on WhatsApp gives millions of Italians the choice to use it in an environment they already know, trust and understand".

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