Italy’s Competition Authority (AGCM) has opened an investigation against Meta to assess potential infringements of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The investigation concerns alleged abusive tying conduct related to the pre-installation and prominent integration of the generative AI service “Meta AI” within the WhatsApp instant messaging application. The AGCM identified distinct relevant product markets for consumer communication services via applications and general-purpose chatbot or AI assistant services, noting Meta’s dominant position in the former market at both European and national levels. The AGCM considered that the integration of Meta AI into WhatsApp is likely to distort competition by facilitating rapid user base expansion and potentially training AI models on user interactions, thereby generating exclusionary effects. The proceeding is scheduled to conclude by 31 December 2026, and the parties have a 60-day period from notification to exercise their right to be heard.
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