Italy’s competition authority has ordered Meta to halt a rule preventing companies from using WhatsApp’s business tools to deploy their own AI chatbots. The move is seen as potentially anti-competitive and harmful to tech advancements in the AI chatbot sector.

Meta’s restriction on WhatsApp’s business API could limit competition, market access, and hinder AI chatbot innovation, leading to irreversible harm. The investigation stems from Meta’s ban on general-purpose AI chatbots on WhatsApp, affecting standalone AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude.

Meta defends its decision, stating the WhatsApp API isn’t for AI chatbot distribution. The company plans to appeal the Italian authority’s ruling. The European Commission is also investigating, concerned about the impact on third-party AI providers across the European Economic Area.

Read more at Nasdaq: Italy Orders Meta To Suspend WhatsApp Policy Blocking Third-Party AI Chatbots