EU Orders Meta to Open WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots

European Union regulators ordered Meta on June 9 to give third-party AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp, a decision that could reshape how artificial intelligence services reach users on the world's most widely used messaging platform.

The European Commission ruled that WhatsApp qualifies as a core platform service under the Digital Markets Act, and that Meta must allow rival AI assistants to connect to its 2.8 billion users without charging fees for that access. The order means companies like Google, Microsoft, and smaller AI startups will be able to offer their chatbots directly within WhatsApp chats, alongside Meta's own AI assistant.

Meta said it plans to appeal. A company spokesperson argued that opening WhatsApp to external AI services creates privacy and security risks, given the platform's end-to-end encryption and the personal nature of messages. "This ruling disregards the technical reality of how encryption works," the spokesperson said.

The decision marks the first time EU regulators have applied DMA rules specifically to AI interoperability. The commission said its investigation found that Meta had used WhatsApp's dominance to favour its own AI assistant, limiting user choice. Under the order, Meta must present a compliance plan within 90 days and implement the changes within six months.

The ruling could become a template for other platforms. The commission is also examining Apple's iMessage and Telegram under similar provisions. Legal experts noted that Meta's encryption argument raises genuine technical questions. Connecting external AI services to an encrypted platform without breaking the encryption model will require new technical solutions that do not yet exist at scale.

The announcement comes days after the DMA celebrated its third anniversary, and it signals that the EU intends to use the full scope of the regulation as AI becomes embedded in consumer platforms.