Meta to Permit Rival AI Chatbots on WhatsApp in Europe for a Fee

Meta has announced it will permit AI companies to provide chatbots on WhatsApp via its business API in Europe for a year to prevent a major European Commission investigation. This decision follows the Commission’s warning about interim measures due to Meta’s policy barring third-party AI chatbots from the WhatsApp Business API. Meta plans to charge AI chatbot providers a fee ranging from €0.0490 to €0.1323 per “non-template message.” The Commission is reviewing the impact of these changes on their investigations. The policy update began on January 15, raising complaints from AI providers about anti-competitive disruptions. Businesses using AI for customer service aren’t affected, but chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Poke are excluded from the API. This change mirrors a similar allowance in Italy in January. Meta faced global antitrust concerns, especially as it provides its AI chatbot on WhatsApp, prompting investigations by the EU, Italy, and Brazil. Previously, WhatsApp argued that AI chatbots overburden its systems not designed for such use, emphasizing the competitive nature of the AI space and the numerous available services.