Meta is now allowing rival AI companies to provide their WhatsApp chatbots to Brazilian users for a fee, a day after the company confirmed a similar decision for users in Europe.
Earlier this week, Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE ruled against Meta and rejected his appeal to block an earlier order to stay a policy change aimed at banning third-party AI chats on WhatsApp.
“In examining the case, the CADE court decided that the necessary requirements to maintain the preventive measure were present. According to the rapporteur of the case, counsel Carlos Jacques, there are elements of legal plausibility, taking into account the relevance of WhatsApp in the Brazilian instant messaging market,” the CADE decision is reading.
The regulator added that banning third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp “would not be proportionate” and could lead to competitive harm.
Meta said in response that it will allow third-party AI chatbot providers to use the WhatsApp Business API to offer their services in the app for a fee, where required by law. The company will charge $0.0625 per “non-standard message” in Brazil starting March 11.
“When we are legally required to provide AI chatbots through the WhatsApp Business API, we enter prices for companies that choose to use our platform to provide these services,” said a Meta spokesperson.
Meta announced the policy change last October, which prompted several antitrust investigations, particularly because the company offers its own AI chatbot, Meta AI, inside WhatsApp. The company argued that its WhatsApp Business API was not designed to serve AI chatbots and that they are putting pressure on the company’s system.
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While Meta now allows third-party chatbots in some regions due to regulations, developers tell TechCrunch they are hesitant to continue the services, saying Meta’s pricing is high and can lead to high costs.
Zapia, one of the companies that filed the complaint with CADE in Brazil, welcomed the decision.
“Competition and preventing powerful companies from limiting how innovation reaches users. At Zapia, we believe that people should be free to choose the AI tools they use, and innovation only thrives when the platforms people rely on every day remain open. We will continue to challenge these restrictions in the rest of Latin America, and now look forward to seeing how Meta adapts its policies to the Brazilian decision.”
