Tech Update: WhatsApp closes doors to AI chatbots, a blow to OpenAI and Perplexity..

WhatsApp has made a major decision regarding artificial intelligence (AI). WhatsApp has decided to ban third-party AI chatbots from its platform. This means that AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Luzia, and Poke will no longer be available on WhatsApp. Only the company's own AI assistant will work on the app.

Meta's policy has changed.
Meta's decision to ban third-party chatbots comes as the company has made a significant change to its WhatsApp Business API policy. This new decision will come into effect on January 15, 2026, meaning that after this date, you will no longer be able to use AI chatbots from companies like OpenAI, Luzia, Perplexity, or Poke on WhatsApp.

These people will not be harmed.
Meta confirmed this change to TechCrunch, clarifying that this ban will not affect customer service bots and businesses that use AI. For example, banks, travel agencies, or e-commerce sites using AI for customer support will not be harmed by this decision.

Why did WhatsApp make this decision?

According to the company, the WhatsApp Business API was designed to help businesses communicate with customers, not for the distribution of AI models. Meta said that in the past few months, it has seen developers using the API to host general-purpose assistants.

Meta argues that hosting AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity puts a strain on WhatsApp's systems because these chatbots send and receive a large volume of messages, upload media, and engage in voice interactions.

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