Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. antitrust
    • ex. New antitrust rules help protect small businesses from unfair competition.
  2. a regulator
    • ex. Regulators from the Ministry of Trade check whether companies follow the law.
  3. scrutinize
    • ex. Officials are scrutinizing the report before making a decision.
  4. competitive
    • ex. The smartphone market is very competitive, so companies lower prices and add new features to attract buyers.
  5. a probe
    • ex. The government started a probe into the company’s business practices.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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WhatsApp is facing an antitrust investigation in the European Union. Regulators from the European Commission said they are concerned that WhatsApp’s new policy for its AI chatbot may harm fair competition. The Commission said that WhatsApp’s action could limit other AI companies from offering their services on the platform.

Because of this, regulators are scrutinizing whether the policy gives Meta an unfair advantage. Teresa Ribera, a vice president at the Commission, said the EU wants to prevent big technology companies from blocking smaller competitors. WhatsApp responded that the Commission’s claims are false. The company said WhatsApp’s system is not designed to support third-party AI tools because it puts too much stress on the system. It also said that even though it only supports Meta’s AI chatbot, the AI market is still very competitive, and users have many other options.

The European Commission has opened a formal probe into the case. The investigation covers all 27 EU countries except Italy, where authorities already have their own review. Regulators will examine the new rules closely to decide whether WhatsApp breaks EU competition laws. 

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.
Photo Credits: The Associated Press

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Fair Competition

  • European Commission regulators are concerned that WhatsApp’s new policy may harm fair competition. What does fair competition mean to you? Discuss.
  • Why do you think competition exists in business industries? Discuss.
  • How could unfair competition affect users like you? Discuss.

Use of AI and the AI Market

  • What is your opinion about having artificial intelligence (AI) in apps like WhatsApp? Discuss.
  • WhatsApp says the AI market is very competitive. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is the AI market growing too fast, or is it growing normally? Why? Discuss.