Meta has recently introduced new regulations for third-party general-purpose AI chatbots on the WhatsApp platform. Under regulatory pressure, Meta has decided to adopt a "per-message billing" model for developers in specific regions, which means that previously blocked third-party services may return under a paid model.

This policy change stems from the intervention of Italy's antitrust regulatory authority (AGCM). In October last year, Meta had blocked general-purpose AI bots including ChatGPT and Perplexity through the WhatsApp Business API, aiming to protect its own AI services' competitive advantage. Subsequently, AGCM requested Meta to suspend the ban and initiate an investigation to assess whether it constitutes anti-competitive behavior and undermines consumer choice.

According to the latest regulations, starting from February 16, 2026, developers in regions subject to regulatory requirements to open up (such as Italy) will need to pay a fee for each "non-template" response sent by AI bots. The specific billing rate is 0.0691 USD (or 0.0572 EUR / 0.0498 GBP) per message. This high cost barrier will impose significant financial pressure on AI service providers with large user bases.