Overview
- Meta said rival general‑purpose AI chatbots in the European Economic Area will get free access to WhatsApp’s Business API for one month while it negotiates with the European Commission.
- The Commission welcomed the step as progress and warned that talks will be brief and depend on Meta showing it will fully address competition concerns.
- The offer follows a January rule that limited WhatsApp integration to Meta’s own assistant and a March change that let rivals in for a fee, which drew a second EU charge sheet.
- Failure to resolve the case could bring a finding of wrongdoing and fines of up to 10% of Meta’s annual global revenue.
- The probe began after complaints from The Interaction Company, maker of the Poke.com assistant, and a Spanish competitor, highlighting how smaller chatbot firms risk losing access to WhatsApp’s huge user base.