Meta bans general-purpose AI chatbots from WhatsApp Business platform

ETtech, Oct 19, 2025 : Effective January 15, 2026, the move will impact AI companies, including OpenAI, Perplexity, Luzia, and Poke, which use WhatsApp to deliver conversational services. Confirming the development to TechCrunch, Meta said that it applies only to broad-use AI assistants and not to business-specific customer service bots. Businesses that use AI for routine tasks—like customer support, travel bookings, or order processing—can still operate through WhatsApp’s Business API.

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Meta-owned WhatsApp has updated its business application programming interface (API) policy and will no longer allow general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on its platform, a move that will impact several AI companies using WhatsApp to deliver conversational services.

Effective January 15, 2026, the new policy introduced a dedicated section addressing “AI providers.”

Under the change, companies that create or distribute general-purpose chatbots such as Sam Altman-led OpenAI, Aravind Srinivas’ Perplexity, Khosla Ventures-backed Luzia, and Poke, which is supported by General Catalyst, will no longer be allowed to run their assistants on WhatsApp.

Meta confirmed the development to TechCrunch, clarifying that it applies only to broad-use AI assistants, not to business-specific customer service bots. Businesses that use AI to handle routine tasks like answering support questions, booking travel, or processing orders can continue operating under WhatsApp’s Business API.

The report added that WhatsApp took this step to address an unanticipated use case of serving general-purpose chatbots that contrast with the company's aim to serve businesses and not a platform for chatbot distribution.

Additionally, a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that recent use cases with the chatbot have put a burden on its system with increased message volume and required special support, doing away with “the intended design and strategic focus” of the API.

The development comes after an August report by The Information that noted Meta Platforms was considering partnerships with rivals Google or OpenAI to enhance AI features in its applications.

MetaAI vs Gemini, ChatGPT

Meta’s new AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs, has reportedly explored using Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s models to enhance Meta AI, its main chatbot, and other app features.

According to The Information, these collaborations would be temporary measures while Meta develops its own advanced model, Llama 5, which aims to rival top AI systems. The report also said Meta has already integrated external models, including Anthropic’s, into internal tools such as its employee coding assistant.

Meta’s focus on AI, infra

Meta Platforms has had a busy week, unveiling a series of major moves in AI and infrastructure.

Recently, Meta Platforms announced a partnership with chip tech provider Arm Holdings to power the systems that drive personalisation across its apps, including Facebook and Instagram. The social media giant will use Arm-based data centre platforms to power its AI ranking and recommendation systems, which are key to discovery and personalisation across its apps.

On Friday, the tech giant introduced parental controls for kids' interactions with AI chatbots — including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether — beginning early next year.

On Wednesday, it said it would invest $1.5 billion in a data centre in Texas, breaking ground at its 29th such facility globally, to support AI workloads, Reuters reported.

Earlier this same month, it hired AI startup Thinking Machines Lab cofounder Andrew Tulloch, per a report by the Wall Street Journal. Led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, the startup had been approached or offered jobs by Meta in the past as well, but the latter had pushed back on some of these claims.

Meta’s safety checks

ET reported that Meta plans to automate up to 90% of internal checks that evaluate privacy, safety, and risk implications across its apps — including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook — using AI, according to internal documents reviewed by US news publisher NPR.

These product risk reviews, which previously relied heavily on human reviewers, assess whether new features could cause harm to users, violate privacy, or spread harmful content.

Under the new system, AI tools will approve most updates — including changes to Meta’s core algorithms, safety tools, and content-sharing policies — without requiring manual scrutiny or human debate.