*** EU warns Meta it must open up WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots Brussels, Belgium | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

EU warns Meta it must open up WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots Brussels, Belgium

TDT | Brussels

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The EU executive told Meta yesterday that it must let rival AI chatbots use its WhatsApp platform, after an antitrust probe found the US giant to be in breach of the bloc’s competition rules.

The European Commission said a change in Meta’s terms had “effectively” barred third-party artificial intelligence assistants from connecting to customers via the messaging platform since January.

Competition chief Teresa Ribera said the EU was “considering” interim measures to “avoid Meta’s new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe”.

The EU executive sent Meta a warning known as a “statement of objections”, a formal step in antitrust probes, and the US giant now has a chance to reply and defend itself.