WhatsApp now allows limited free access to Meta’s AI rival chatbots

Meta Platforms has promised to give competing AI chatbots, including OpenAI, free access to its social messaging service WhatsApp in Europe but would start charging them once they reach a limit.

The previously unknown offer details come as Mark Zuckerberg’s digital and social media company, which also controls Facebook, seeks to placate increasingly severe EU authorities that are squeezing Big digital.

Meta handed its proposal to EU antitrust watchdogs last week after the European Commission indicated it was exploring a demand that the corporation grant rivals access to WhatsApp until it concludes an ongoing probe in the case.

Neither side disclosed details of the offer.

The Commission has not yet decided whether to accept Meta’s offer and interested parties had until May 18 to provide feedback, the persons added.

Once competitor AI chatbots hit a limit in terms of messages sent to users, Meta will start charging them, the two individuals claimed.

The wider case shows how the EU enforcer is seeking to ensure competition in emerging digital sectors by stopping Big Tech from gaining market power or blocking smaller rivals.

The Commission declined to comment, stressing its objective is to keep the developing market of AI assistants free and competitive for entrepreneurs.

It said Meta’s offer should give scope for additional talks to address its concerns.

Meta repeated previous comments that it has provided access to competing AI chatbots in Europe to WhatsApp business Application Programming Interface (API) free of charge for a month while it tries to settle the problem with EU regulators.

An API is a form of software interface that specifies how two software systems will communicate.

Smaller rivals, too, indicated they were unimpressed.

The Interaction Company of California, creator of the AI helper Poke.com, and French startup Agentik, ⁠both of which had complained to the Commission, dismissed Meta’s offer.

“Unfortunately, Meta’s current proposal is no where near addressing any of the competition concerns identified in this case,” The Interaction Company of California said.

“If Meta does not come forward with a truly constructive proposal without delay, we urge the Commission to proceed with the interim measures,” he added.

“Meta’s offer is discriminatory towards its competitors. “Meta’s own AI would be excluded,” says Jeremy Andre, founder of Agentik.

But Meta’s AI chatbot does not use WhatsApp’s API.

Meta had a policy in place in January that allowed only its Meta AI assistant on WhatsApp and then revised it in March to suggest rivals could use the social messaging service for a price.

That led to a second charge sheet from the EU watchdog, causing the company to suspend fees for a month while it examined its proposal with the Commission.