News Summary

Meta-owned WhatsApp has announced a significant change to its Business API policy by prohibiting general-purpose AI chatbots from its platform, effective January 15, 2026. This move will impact AI assistants from companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, Luzia, and Poke. The updated terms aim to refocus the WhatsApp Business API on its intended purpose of helping businesses provide customer support and send updates, rather than facilitating chatbot distribution. Meta’s decision comes after noticing unanticipated use cases that increased message volume and required support that the company was unprepared to offer. The change ensures that businesses using AI for customer service will not be affected, emphasizing WhatsApp’s role as a business communication tool rather than a chatbot platform.