The French Competition Authority has announced that it will launch an in-depth investigation into the chatbot sector, signalling growing regulatory attention on the downstream side of the generative artificial intelligence value chain. The move follows the Authority’s June 2024 opinion on competition in generative AI model development and a separate study on the energy and environmental impact of AI.
While the chatbot market currently appears vibrant, with several active players, the Authority believes recent developments warrant closer scrutiny. Conversational AI tools are spreading rapidly across the French economy, with the number of users expected to increase by more than 60% by 2024. As chatbots become more widely embedded in everyday digital services, regulators are increasingly concerned about their potential impact on competition in a range of sectors.
The market is dominated by a small group of well-known platforms, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Mistral AI’s “Le Chat”, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot. According to the Authority, the growing influence of these tools raises important questions about how the market is structured, how companies generate revenue, and whether smaller players and other industries can compete on fair terms.
A key area of focus for the investigation will be the role of chatbots in online commerce, sometimes described as “agentic commerce”. In this context, conversational tools may not only assist users but actively guide purchasing decisions or carry out transactions on their behalf, potentially reshaping how consumers interact with digital marketplaces. The Authority has clarified, however, that the relationship between chatbots and traditional search engines will not be examined as part of this work.
To inform its analysis, the French Competition Authority will soon launch a public consultation, inviting feedback from businesses, technology providers, and other stakeholders. The Authority expects to publish its conclusions in an opinion scheduled for release in 2026, adding another important milestone to the evolving regulatory debate around artificial intelligence and competition.