After Europe, WhatsApp will let rival AI companies offer chatbots in Brazil
WhatsApp is now allowing rival AI chatbots in Brazil following regulatory pressure after a similar move in Europe.Summary
Meta is permitting rival AI companies to offer their chatbots on WhatsApp to Brazilian users for a fee, mirroring a decision made for Europe, following a ruling by Brazil's antitrust regulator, CADE. CADE rejected Meta's appeal to suspend an order blocking its policy change that aimed to bar third-party AI chatbots, stating that banning them would not be proportionate and could harm competition. In response, Meta will allow third-party AI chatbot providers to use its WhatsApp Business API for a fee, starting March 11, charging $0.0625 per "non-template message" in Brazil where legally required. Meta had previously announced this policy change last October, which triggered antitrust investigations because the company promotes its own Meta AI chatbot within WhatsApp, claiming third-party services strain its system. However, developers express hesitation about resuming services due to the high pricing set by Meta.
(Source：TechCrunch)