Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has proposed granting competing artificial intelligence chatbots, including those developed by OpenAI, limited free access to WhatsApp in Europe before introducing charges once usage thresholds are exceeded, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The previously undisclosed proposal comes as Meta attempts to ease mounting pressure from European Union regulators, who have intensified scrutiny of large technology groups and their influence over digital markets.
Meta seeks to address EU antitrust concerns
Meta submitted the proposal to EU antitrust authorities last week after the European Commission indicated it was considering interim measures that could force the company to provide rivals with access to WhatsApp while an ongoing investigation continues.
Neither Meta nor the Commission had publicly disclosed details of the proposal at the time.
According to the sources, interested parties were given until May 18 to provide feedback to the Commission before regulators decide whether to accept Meta’s offer.
Under the proposed structure, rival AI chatbot providers would initially receive free access to WhatsApp’s services but would begin paying fees after surpassing certain messaging limits.
EU regulators push to preserve competition in AI
The broader dispute highlights growing efforts by European regulators to maintain competition in emerging digital and AI markets by preventing dominant technology firms from consolidating excessive market power or restricting smaller competitors.
The European Commission declined to comment further, reiterating that its priority is to keep the rapidly expanding AI assistant market open and competitive for innovators. The Commission added that Meta’s proposal should create room for continued discussions aimed at resolving regulatory concerns.
Meta repeated earlier statements noting that it had already granted competing AI chatbot providers in Europe one month of free access to WhatsApp’s business Application Programming Interface, or API, while negotiations with regulators continue. APIs are software interfaces that allow different systems and applications to interact with one another.
Smaller AI rivals criticise Meta’s proposal
Several smaller AI companies said they remained dissatisfied with the proposed arrangement. The Interaction Company of California, developer of the Poke.com AI assistant, and French startup Agentik — both of which previously filed complaints with the European Commission — rejected Meta’s proposal.
“Unfortunately, Meta’s current proposal is far from resolving any of the competition concerns identified in this case,” The Interaction Company of California said.
“If Meta does not put forward a genuinely constructive proposal without delay, we urge the Commission to proceed with the interim measures.”
Agentik founder Jeremy Andre argued that the proposal unfairly disadvantages competitors because the restrictions would not apply to Meta’s own AI products. Meta has noted, however, that its Meta AI chatbot does not rely on WhatsApp’s API.
Meta revised WhatsApp AI policy earlier this year
Meta introduced a policy in January allowing only its own Meta AI assistant to operate on WhatsApp before revising the approach in March to permit rival AI services to access the messaging platform for a fee.
The change subsequently led to a second formal charge sheet from EU regulators, prompting Meta to suspend fees temporarily for one month while continuing negotiations with the European Commission.