WhatsApp to Allow Rival AI Chatbots in Brazil Under New Fee

Meta is opening the WhatsApp platform to third-party artificial intelligence chatbots in Brazil, aligning the country with recent regulatory shifts implemented in Europe. The move follows a significant legal setback for the tech giant, which had attempted to restrict external AI services within its messaging ecosystem.

Antitrust Pressure Forces Policy Change

The decision comes directly after Brazil’s antitrust watchdog, CADE, rejected Meta’s appeal to maintain a policy that effectively banned non-Meta AI chatbots from the app. The CADE Tribunal upheld a preventive measure, citing the dominant position of WhatsApp in the Brazilian communication market.

Councilor Carlos Jacques, the case rapporteur, emphasized that the regulator found sufficient legal grounds to intervene. According to the official ruling, the tribunal determined that excluding third-party AI tools would cause disproportionate competitive harm to the digital landscape.

New Pricing Structure

In response to the legal mandate, Meta confirmed it will allow third-party providers to integrate their services via the WhatsApp Business API. However, this access comes with a specific cost structure:

• Implementation: Services will be available wherever local law requires Meta to provide access to AI chatbots.
• Fees: Starting March 11, Meta will implement a charge of $0.0625 per “non-template message” processed through the API in Brazil.

A spokesperson for the company stated that these fees apply to businesses opting to use their infrastructure to deliver AI services, maintaining that the platform was not originally built to accommodate the specific technical demands of AI chatbot traffic.

Industry Response and Future Concerns

The policy, originally announced last October, drew immediate scrutiny from regulators and developers alike. Critics argued that Meta’s attempt to restrict rivals was inherently anti-competitive, especially as the company simultaneously promotes its proprietary “Meta AI” chatbot within the app.

While the decision is a victory for competition, some developers remain cautious. Sources indicate that the newly established pricing model is perceived as prohibitively expensive, potentially creating a barrier to entry for smaller AI firms.

Zapia, one of the primary entities that petitioned CADE, issued a statement praising the decision as a win for user choice. The company noted that it plans to continue challenging similar restrictions across other Latin American markets, viewing open platform access as a prerequisite for technological innovation.