Italy tells Meta to suspend its policy that bans rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp

Core Viewpoint - Italy has mandated Meta to halt its policy that restricts companies from utilizing WhatsApp's business tools to deploy their own AI chatbots, citing potential abuse of market dominance [1][2]. Group 1: Regulatory Actions - The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has initiated a suspension of Meta's policy after finding sufficient evidence of potential market abuse [1]. - The AGCM's investigation suggests that Meta's actions may limit production and market access in the AI chatbot services sector, negatively impacting consumers [2]. Group 2: Policy Details - Meta's revised API policy, effective January, prohibits general-purpose AI chatbots from being offered on WhatsApp, affecting services from companies like OpenAI and Perplexity [3]. - The policy does not restrict businesses using AI for customer service on WhatsApp, allowing specific applications while banning others like ChatGPT and Claude [4]. Group 3: Broader Investigations - The European Commission has also launched an investigation into Meta's new policy, expressing concerns that it may hinder third-party AI providers from offering services in the European Economic Area (EEA) [5].