WhatsApp to Ban Third-Party AI Chatbots, Including ChatGPT, Starting January 15
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – WhatsApp is โset to remove accessโค to third-party AIโ chatbots, including those powered by OpenAI‘s ChatGPT, beginning January 15, asโข part of a policy shift aimed at controlling โฃthe use of artificialโฃ intelligence on its platform.The move follows anโค October proclamation revising whatsapp’s business API policy to prohibit AI model providers from โdistributing AI assistants directly onโค theโฃ messaging โฃservice.
This decision impacts โa growing โขnumber of AI-powered assistants designed to functionโค within WhatsApp, such as โคthose from OpenAI, Perplexity, Luzia (backed by Khosla Ventures), and Poke (backed by โขGeneral โCatalyst). WhatsApp users who have been utilizing these chatbots willโ loseโข access unless the โproviders โขfind alternative solutions. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, is prioritizing data privacy andโ control over the user experience, prompting the ban and urging users to export โconversations before โthe โฃdeadline if they wishโข to retain them.
The policy change specifically targets “AI Providers”โ – defined by โMeta as companies โoffering artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies,โ including large language models andโข multi-purpose AI assistants. according to updated terms andโค conditions, these providers are “strictly prohibited from accessing โฃorโ using the WhatsApp Business Solution, โeither directly or indirectly.”
Meta’s rationale centers on maintaining the integrityโ of WhatsApp as a platformโ for direct interaction, rather than a distribution channel for broader AI services. The company asserts its โright to determineโ which โฃtechnologies qualify as “AI Providers” and are subject to the ban.โ WhatsApp is advising users to utilize its built-in export tools to save conversations before the January 15th cutoff.