JAKARTA - Meta will allow third-party chatbots to operate on WhatsApp. However, they will charge developers who bring Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots to WhatsApp.
This pricing policy will take effect on February 16 for developers in the Italian region. This decision comes after the Italian competition watchdog lifted a ban on third-party chatbots on WhatsApp.
Meta plans to charge 0.0572 euros (Rp1,159) for each non-template AI response message. If users make thousands of questions or responses every day, the bill will get bigger.
"In places where we are legally required to provide AI chatbots through business APIs, we are introducing pricing for companies using our platform," Meta said, as reported by TechCrunch on Thursday, January 29.
Previously, Meta said that the presence of third-party AI chatbots was prohibited on WhatsApp for operating system reasons. The company explained that their WhatsApp Business API system was not designed to handle millions of automated responses from chatbots.
According to Meta, the marketing channel for AI companies should be through their official app stores or websites. They object if WhatsApp is considered a distribution tool for global AI service providers.
Although there are other regions that have received similar lifting of bans, such as Brazil, the implementation of this fee system has only been announced for Italy. The restriction of WhatsApp's business API for third-party chatbots is still being investigated in other regions.
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