LONDON (AP) — WhatsApp faces an antitrust investigation in the European Union, where regulators said Thursday that they're looking into the messaging service's artificial intelligence policy.
The European Commission said it opened the formal investigation because of concerns about WhatsApp's move to limit access for third-party AI providers.
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook parent Meta Platforms, rolled out its AI chatbot feature for European Union users in March after delays.
The Commission, which is the bloc's executive arm, said a recent policy update could mean that rival AI companies are blocked from offering their AI assistants on the platform, while Meta's chatbot service remains accessible to users. Regulators are scrutinizing new terms and conditions for business customers, who can use AI assistants to communicate with customers over WhatsApp.
Teresa Ribera, the commission's vice president overseeing competition affairs, said the bloc wants to prevent Big Tech companies from boxing out innovative competitors.
“This is why we are investigating if Meta’s new policy might be illegal under competition rules, and whether we should act quickly to prevent any possible irreparable harm to competition in the AI space,” she said in a press statement.
The Commission's “claims are baseless,” WhatsApp said in a statement. ”The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API puts a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support."
"Even still, the AI space is highly competitive and people have access to the services of their choice in any number of ways, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations, and operating systems,” the company said.
The investigation will cover all of the EU's 27 countries except for Italy, where authorities have already opened their own separate probe.
FILE - WhatsApp app icon on a smartphone in New York onFeb. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Petr Yan stunned Merab Dvalishvili with a dominating effort to capture the bantamweight championship by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday night.
With punishing strikes and several crushing kicks to the rib cage, Yan (20-5) ended Dvalishvili’s 14-match winning streak.
“I’m very happy to stand here with the championship belt, thank you to all the fans,” Yan said, through an interpreter. “I worked so hard, I prepared so hard for this moment.”
Dvalishvili (21-5) hadn’t lost since April 21, 2018, when Ricky Simon won by submission. It was his fourth title match of 2025.
Yan exacted revenge for his last loss when Dvalishvili defeated the 32-year-old by unanimous decision on a UFC Fight Night card on March 11, 2023.
Dvalishvili, 34, closed a -425 favorite, which meant a bettor laid $425 to $100 at BetMGM. Anyone wagering $100 on Yan would have won $320.
“I lost today,” Dvalishvili said. “Congratulations to him.”
In the co-main event, challenger Joshua Van won the flyweight belt from former champion Alexandre Pantoja with a TKO just 26 seconds into the first round after a quirky finish.
In what appeared to be a freak accident, Pantoja (30-6) injured his left shoulder just after throwing a right roundkick to Van’s head. But as Van (16-2) blocked the kick, Pantoja used his left arm to brace his fall, but his arm buckled, and he immediately grabbed it and waved to referee Herb Dean to stop the bout at 26 seconds.
In a display of sportsmanship, Van immediately joined Pantoja on the canvas to check on him once the bout was called.
Also from the main card:
In what was a scheduled three-round flyweight bout, No. 5 Tatsuro Taira (18-1-0) earned the biggest victory of his career, a first-round stoppage over No. 2 Brandon Moreno (23-9-2) at the 2:24 mark of the second round after capitalizing on a rear-mount ground-and-pound.
In a three-round bantamweight match, unranked rising star Payton Talbott (11-1-0) dominated 10th-ranked Henry Cejudo (16-6-0) to earn a 30-27 unanimous decision over the former two-division champion. Cejudo, who fought for the last time, was honored with a tribute video after the bout.
In a three-round light heavyweight bout, fifth-ranked Jan Blachowicz (29-11-2) and 11th-ranked Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1) fought to a majority draw. Blachowicz was given the 29-28 edge by one judge, while two others had it 28-28.
It marked the last UFC pay-per-view fight after the organization agreed to a seven-year contract with Paramount Plus under which future bouts will be on the streaming service. The partnership, which includes the two popular series Dana White’s Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter, begins Jan. 24 with UFC 324 in Las Vegas.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Jan Blachowicz, left, takes a punch from Bogdan Guskov, right, in a light heavyweight mixed martial arts bout during UFC 323, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
Henry Cejudo, left, is hit with an elbow by Payton Talbott, right, in a bantamweight mixed martial arts bout during UFC 323, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
Tatsuro Taira, of Japan, celebrates after defeating Brandon Moreno in a flyweight bout during UFC 323 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, right, is injured as he falls to the canvas away from Joshua Van during UFC 323 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
Petr Yan celebrates with a member of his team after defeating UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 323 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
