WhatsApp will soon stop you from chatting with AI assistants
Starting January 15, 2026, Meta (the company behind WhatsApp) will ban general-purpose AI chatbots—like those from OpenAI and Perplexity—from using the WhatsApp Business API.
This means you won't be able to chat with those big-name AI assistants directly on WhatsApp anymore.
Why is Meta taking this step?
Meta says the Business API was meant for businesses to talk to customers—not for hosting all-purpose AI bots.
They noticed these chatbots put a lot of burden on their system with increased message volume and required a different kind of support.
If you're chatting with a travel bot or getting customer support powered by AI, that's still fine. But general-purpose AI chatbot providers are now barred from the platform.
What's in it for Meta?
With over 3 billion people on WhatsApp, Meta wants to keep things focused on business-to-customer chats—and make money from approved message types.
Kicking out generic chatbots means only Meta's own assistant will stick around on the platform, and independent AIs will have to find somewhere else to hang out.
It's all about keeping things running smoothly while sticking to their business goals.