The Italian Competition Authority (ICA) has initiated proceedings to consider interim measures against Meta Platforms regarding possible abuse of a dominant position in the AI chatbot services sector.

The investigation focuses on changes to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms, which came into effect in mid-October 2025, and the potential integration of new Meta AI features into WhatsApp.

ICA said that these updated contractual terms would exclude Meta AI’s competitors from the WhatsApp platform, raising concerns about possible restrictions on market access, production, or technical development within the AI chatbot market.

The authority indicated that such limitations could negatively affect consumers and may represent a breach of Article 102 TFEU.

It has widened its ongoing investigation involving Meta Platforms, Meta Platforms Ireland, WhatsApp Ireland, and Facebook Italy.

The procedure under consideration falls within Section 14-bis of Law 287/1990 and specifically addresses both the revised WhatsApp Business Solution Terms and the introduction of new Meta AI tools or features.

The authority said that this change to the contractual terms could restrict production, market access, or technical innovation in the AI chatbot services market, ultimately harming consumers. Such actions may constitute a potential violation of Article 102 TFEU.

In addition, the authority noted that Meta’s actions could seriously and irreversibly impact competition in the sector.

It cited limited consumer willingness to switch between services as a factor that could make it difficult for rival providers to challenge Meta.

Recently, Meta announced plans to invest more than $600bn in AI technology, data centres, and related infrastructure across the US through 2028.

The social technology company stated that this investment aims to advance its AI system development and expand operational capacity at its US sites.

“Meta faces competition probe in Italy over WhatsApp AI chatbot changes” was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.

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