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ARTICLE · 24 DECEMBER 2025

AI Tools Under The Antitrust Spotlight, As Commission Opens Abuse Of Dominance Cases Into Both Meta And Google

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The European Commission has opened twin investigations into Meta and Google's conduct in relation to generative AI assistants and related services.

United KingdomAntitrust/Competition Law
Greg Dowell
Greg Dowell
Foad Hoseinian
Foad Hoseinian

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.

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