Meta Platforms is moving ahead with a strategy that, at least from the outside, feels like a significant shift in how the company wants to compete in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence market. The company is limiting the presence of rival chatbots on WhatsApp, which is a service that so many people around the world rely on daily. This change comes through an update to its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms, and it effectively pushes out third-party AI providers such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot. The update takes full effect on January 15, 2026, and it seems fairly clear that the space is being cleared for Meta’s own assistant, Meta AI.
Key Takeaways
- Meta updated its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms to prohibit non-Meta AI chatbots from using the platform as a main distribution channel.
- Major AI rivals, including ChatGPT and Copilot, are withdrawing their services from WhatsApp ahead of the January 15, 2026, deadline.
- The restriction applies to companies whose core offering is an AI chatbot, not to businesses using AI for customer support.
- The Italian competition authority has broadened its antitrust investigation into Meta, focusing on whether these new rules abuse Meta’s dominant market position.
- Meta’s own Meta AI will become the only general-purpose AI chatbot available to the billions of WhatsApp users globally.
The revised terms were first introduced in October, and they specifically target AI providers whose primary function is offering a general-purpose AI chatbot. Those providers will no longer be allowed to use the WhatsApp Business API to distribute their services. It is important to note, and perhaps this is where some of the nuance sits, that the update does not affect the tens of thousands of businesses using third-party AI for things like customer service or automated updates. Those companies will continue operating as usual. The real dividing line is whether the chatbot is the product itself or simply a tool supporting an existing business.
Following the announcement, OpenAI and Microsoft both confirmed that they would withdraw their chatbot integrations. OpenAI, which develops ChatGPT, has said that users can link their accounts before the cutoff so they can keep past conversations accessible. Microsoft, on the other hand, has stated that Copilot users will not have a way to transfer their chat history. Other AI companies with WhatsApp integrations, like Perplexity, are widely expected to follow the same path and exit the platform.
Competition and Regulatory Scrutiny
All of this is unfolding as Meta continues pouring enormous resources into its AI ambitions. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has committed tens of billions of dollars annually to capital expenditures, including the purchase of hundreds of thousands of Nvidia H100 GPUs. The goal is to build one of the largest GPU clusters in the world. Alongside that, Meta has been aggressively hiring, sometimes offering strikingly high compensation to attract researchers from competitors such as OpenAI and Google DeepMind. It gives the sense of a company trying to close a gap while also trying to define its own direction.
Still, the new policy has not escaped regulatory attention. The Italian Competition Authority, known as the AGCM, expanded its investigation into Meta in November. The agency is examining whether the updated terms and the addition of new Meta AI features inside WhatsApp could amount to an abuse of the company’s dominant position. The concern is fairly straightforward. With more than 37 million WhatsApp users in Italy alone, limiting chatbot competitors could reduce innovation and leave consumers with fewer choices, especially in a sector that is evolving quickly.
WhatsApp has pushed back against those accusations. A spokesperson said the Business API was never designed to host AI chatbots and that allowing them would place severe strain on the system. The spokesperson also emphasized that the update supports the many businesses that rely on the platform for communication tools. If regulators ultimately find Meta in violation of EU competition rules, the company could be fined up to 10 percent of its global revenue, which totaled $164.5 billion in 2024. The investigation is expected to wrap up by the end of 2026, although these timelines sometimes shift.
By limiting rival chatbots, Meta is positioning Meta AI to become the default assistant for WhatsApp’s enormous global audience of more than three billion users. It is a move that could give the company a powerful distribution channel in its broader push to solidify its place in the AI landscape. Whether this shift leads to more innovation or raises new concerns about competition is something we may only fully understand over the next few years.
RelatedFAQs
Q. What is Meta AI?
A. Meta AI is the company’s generative artificial intelligence assistant, built using its large language model, Llama. Meta has integrated the assistant across its platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.
Q. When will rival AI chatbots stop working on WhatsApp?
A. Third-party AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot will no longer operate on WhatsApp after the new terms of service take effect on January 15, 2026.
Q. Does this new policy affect all businesses using AI on WhatsApp?
A. No, the policy specifically targets “AI Providers,” defined as companies whose core product is a general-purpose AI chatbot or similar technology. It does not apply to businesses that use AI for customer support, like answering product questions or managing orders.
Q. Why is Meta pushing out rival AI chatbots?
A. The move is seen as a way for Meta to secure its position in the AI race by making its own Meta AI the default and sole general-purpose AI assistant available to WhatsApp’s enormous user base, potentially giving it an advantage in user data and market share.
