In a landmark decision that could reshape the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence in Europe, Italy’s antitrust regulator, the AGCM, has formally ordered Meta Platforms to suspend new contractual terms that would effectively bar rival AI chatbots from the WhatsApp platform. The emergency order, issued on December 24, 2025, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing investigation into whether the social media giant is abusing its dominant market position to stifle innovation and favor its own proprietary AI services.
The dispute centers on a policy shift Meta introduced for its WhatsApp Business API, which governs how third-party developers and enterprises interact with the app's billions of users. The AGCM contends that Meta’s updated terms, which were set to prohibit general-purpose AI assistants from operating on the platform, constitute an anti-competitive "refusal to deal." By restricting access for major AI developers such as the creators of ChatGPT and Claude while simultaneously integrating its own "Meta AI" into the core WhatsApp experience, the regulator argues that Meta is leveraging its messaging monopoly to seize control of the burgeoning AI market.
This regulatory intervention follows a probe that began in July 2025, which was later expanded in November as Meta’s restrictive intentions became clearer. The Italian watchdog highlighted that WhatsApp’s massive user base exceeding 37 million in Italy alone acts as a critical gateway for digital services. Denying rivals access to this infrastructure could cause "serious and irreversible harm" to competition, limiting consumer choice and slowing the technical development of AI technologies across the continent.
Meta has hit back at the ruling, describing the AGCM’s decision as "fundamentally flawed." A company spokesperson defended the policy, stating that the sudden influx of complex AI chatbots has placed an unprecedented strain on systems that were never designed to support them. Meta maintains that WhatsApp should not be treated as a "de facto app store" and argues that AI companies have numerous other avenues to reach users, including web browsers and mobile operating systems. The company has confirmed it intends to appeal the order, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle.
The move by Italy is not an isolated incident but part of a coordinated push by European regulators to curb the influence of "Big Tech" in the AI sector. The European Commission launched its own parallel investigation into the same contractual terms last month, expressing concerns that Meta’s conduct could fragment the European Economic Area’s digital market. As these investigations proceed, the interim measures in Italy ensure that the doors of WhatsApp remain open to third-party AI developers for the time being, preventing Meta from establishing an uncontested foothold during the critical early years of AI mass adoption.
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