AI tools under the antitrust spotlight, as Commission opens abuse of dominance cases into …

AI tools under the antitrust spotlight, as Commission opens abuse of dominance cases into both Meta and Google 19 December 2025 The European Commission has opened twin investigations into Meta and Google’s conduct in relation to generative AI assistants and related services. Whilst both cases are at a very early stage, they indicate a broadening of the scope of the potential competition concerns the Commission is likely to examine in AI markets – which the Digital Markets Act’s (DMA) static rulebook appears ill-equipped to address. What the Commission is investigating The investigations into each of Meta and Google are entirely separate and self-standing. Nevertheless, the proximity of their announcements was striking, with the Commission’s  announcement of the Meta investigation coming on 4 December 2025, and the  announcement in relation to Google following only five days later, on 9 December. This proximity appears more than co-incidental.  Meta: access for AI providers to WhatsApp The Commission’s investigation into Meta’s conduct concerns a new policy, announced in October 2025, prohibiting businesses whose primary service is a general-purpose AI assistant from using the WhatsApp Business Solution (WBS – a tool that allows businesses to integrate with WhatsApp in order to communicate with their customers). Where
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