United Kingdom, Feb. 9 -- The European Union (EU) has ordered Meta to let rivals run AI chatbots on WhatsApp.

The tech giant made changes to the messaging app last month, with only its AI assistant Meta AI able to access it since.

However, the European Commission said that WhatsApp was an "important entry point" for chatbots such as ChatGPTto reach people - and claims that Meta is abusing its power by blocking them.

A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that the EU had "no reason" to intervene in the matter and claimed that it had "incorrectly" assumed WhatsApp Business was an important way for people to use chatbots.

Teresa Ribera, the European Commission's competition chief, said: "We must protect effective competition in this vibrant fi...