Meta has announced a new fee for companies using their own conversational AI chatbots within the WhatsApp Business API. Starting March 11, businesses will be charged $0.0625 (approx. R$ 0.33) per non-standard message processed by third-party AI models.
Key Details of the New Policy:
- Target: The fee applies exclusively to conversational AI services.
- Exemptions: Standard customer service chatbots and automated menus remain free from this specific charge.
- Context: This decision follows a ruling by CADE (Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense) that prevents Meta from blocking competitor AIs on its platform.
- Effective Date: March 11.
By implementing this per-message cost, Meta aims to monetize the infrastructure used by rival AI technologies operating within its ecosystem. This change marks a significant shift for developers and businesses relying on custom AI integrations for customer engagement.
