Paris, January 9, 2026 — The French authority has opened ex officio inquiries into the competitive functioning of the conversational agent sector, with a view to issuing a formal opinion in 2026, citing the rapid growth of AI-driven assistants and their potential impact on multiple parts of the economy.
The move follows the authority’s earlier work on generative artificial intelligence, including its June 2024 opinion on the upstream AI model market and a separate study on the energy and environmental effects of AI. The new inquiry shifts focus downstream in the value chain, where conversational agents interact directly with users and businesses.
Rising Use and Market Structure
According to the authority, the use of conversational agents in France rose by more than 60% in 2024. While the sector remains dynamic, it is increasingly concentrated around a small number of services, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Mistral AI’s Le Chat, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot.
The authority said recent developments raise questions about market structure, operators’ business models and the implications for competition across key sectors of the economy.
Focus on Monetisation and Integration
The inquiry will examine how conversational agent developers are seeking to diversify use cases and monetisation strategies. Areas of scrutiny will include the integration of advertising, the deployment of agents within existing services operated by major digital groups, and the risk of leverage effects and self-preferencing.
The authority will also assess partnerships entered into by conversational agent developers and the evolution of conversational agents into full-fledged platforms that provide users with direct access to third-party services without leaving the chat interface.
The relationship between conversational agents and search engines, however, will fall outside the scope of the inquiry.
Agentic Commerce Under Review
A central focus of the inquiry will be the growing role of conversational agents in e-commerce, often referred to as “agentic commerce.” The authority said developers are increasingly designing agents capable of guiding users through purchasing journeys, browsing online stores, making recommendations and facilitating payments.
In some cases, conversational agents may autonomously perform tasks on behalf of users, acting as shopping assistants that anticipate purchases or manage recurring orders. The authority said this shift could require adjustments across the broader e-commerce ecosystem, including logistics and payment services.
The inquiry will map the agentic commerce value chain, identify established players and new entrants, and examine interactions with traditional e-commerce models and the competitive challenges arising from this emerging segment.
Next Steps
The French authority said it will soon launch a public consultation as part of the inquiry. Submissions will inform its analysis, with a final opinion expected to be issued in 2026.
