Meta has allowed rival AI companies to offer its chatbots on WhatsApp to users in Brazil for a fee, a day after confirming it had made a similar decision for users in Europe.
Earlier this week, Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE issued a ruling against Meta, rejecting an appeal seeking to block an earlier policy change injunction that sought to ban third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp.
“After considering the case, the CADE Court determined that the necessary requirements exist to maintain the precautionary measures. According to the case reporter, Councilor Carlos Jacques, there is evidence of legal validity, given the relevance of WhatsApp in the Brazilian instant messaging services market,” the CADE judgment reads.
The regulator added that banning third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp would be “disproportionate” and could have a negative impact on competition.
In response, Meta said it will allow third-party AI chatbot providers to use its WhatsApp Business API to offer services on its app for a fee, where legally required. Starting March 11, the company will charge $0.0625 per “non-template message” in Brazil.
“Where we are legally required to offer AI chatbots through the WhatsApp Business API, we will introduce pricing for businesses that choose to use our platform to provide those services,” a Meta spokesperson said.
Meta announced policy changes last October, spurring several antitrust investigations, especially since the company offers its own AI chatbot, Meta AI, within WhatsApp. The company has argued that the WhatsApp Business API was not designed to support AI chatbots and that AI chatbots are putting a strain on its systems.
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Meta currently allows the use of third-party chatbots in some regions due to regulations, but developers told TechCrunch they are hesitant to restart the service, citing the high pricing Meta has set and potentially increasing costs.
Zapia, one of the companies that complained to Brazil’s CADE, welcomed the decision.
“Competition and blocking powerful companies limit how innovation reaches users. At Zapia, we believe that people should have the freedom to choose the AI tools they use, and that innovation can only thrive when the platforms they rely on every day remain open. We will continue to challenge these limits in the rest of Latin America, and now we look forward to seeing how Meta adapts its policies in Brazil to comply with the decision,” the company said in a statement.
