BRUSSELS: WhatsApp won't let you delete Meta's AI from the chat messenger, but officials in the European Union may be able to let you at least pick a more familiar AI assistant.
The European Commission is urging WhatsApp to grant access to rival AI chatbots or else risk violating the European Union's antitrust rules.
In 2023, WhatsApp began rolling out Meta AI to users as a blue circle icon in the app. This feature cannot be disabled, nor can it be replaced with other AI chatbots such as Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude.
Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, updated the terms for users in January so that now only Meta's own AI assistant is available on the platform.
'Unfair advantage'
The EU, which has already forced significant software changes on US tech giants deemed to be breaking consumer protection laws, now looks set to change WhatsApp's approach to AI for users inside the bloc.
"We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage," said EU competition watchdog Teresa Ribera on Monday.
"The commission has informed Meta that this policy change appears at first sight to be in breach of EU competition rules," the commission said, which is considering imposing restrictions on Meta while a deeper investigation is ongoing.
The exclusion of AI competitors may pose a "risk of serious and
irreparable damage to competition," according to the commission.
In addition, several investigations are ongoing against Meta under the EU's digital rules, including over an alleged lack of data transparency and its handling of illegal content on its platforms.
These probes have caused friction between Brussels and Washington, with US President Donald Trump's administration and Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg accusing the EU of censorship.
In recent years, Meta has focused largely on bringing its social media platforms into virtual reality spaces, while in the artificial intelligence race it currently lags behind rivals like Google and OpenAI.
Can't I remove Meta AI from my WhatsApp?
For anyone who doesn't plan on switching to Meta's lesser-known AI assistant, it is best not to tap on it at all or to involve the chatbot in group chats using @MetaAI.
Neither the symbol nor the entire Meta AI integration can be removed or deactivated from the app at this time.
Anyone who has already agreed to the terms of use and privacy policy and chatted with Meta AI can only delete individual AI chats, Meta says in WhatsApp's help section.
To do this, swipe the chat to the left, select "More/Delete" (Android) or directly "Delete" (iOS), and confirm.
As with any interaction with AI, it is important to note that some AI-generated messages may be "potentially incorrect or inappropriate," according to WhatsApp's help section.
Additionally, personal, sensitive or confidential data should not be shared in AI chats. If such information has already been entered into the chat, users should not only delete the respective individual AI chats from their device but also request the deletion of the information shared with Meta AI from Meta itself. – dpa
