WhatsApp Will Start Charging AI Chatbots to Operate in Italy

WhatsApp is about to make AI chatbot developers pay up at least in Italy.

Meta announced on Wednesday that it will begin charging developers for running AI chatbots on WhatsApp in regions where regulators are forcing the company to allow them. This comes after Meta’s ban on third-party chatbots officially took effect on January 15.

For now, the new fees will apply only in Italy. The move follows pressure from the country’s competition watchdog, which asked Meta last December to suspend its chatbot ban. Meta confirmed that pricing for non-template AI responses will begin on February 16.

Under the new structure, developers will be charged $0.0691 (€0.0572 / £0.0498) per AI-generated message. That pricing could quickly add up, especially for chatbots handling thousands of user queries every day.

Earlier this month, Meta quietly allowed AI chatbots to continue operating for Italian phone numbers by granting developers an exemption. At the time, the company did not disclose that it planned to introduce new fees.

WhatsApp already charges businesses for using its API to send template messages, such as marketing notifications, payment reminders, or shipping updates. However, this marks the first time Meta is charging specifically for AI chatbot responses.

“Where we are legally required to provide AI chatbots through the WhatsApp Business API, we are introducing pricing for the companies that choose to use our platform to provide those services,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. The decision could set a precedent for other regions if regulators force Meta to allow third-party chatbots elsewhere.

Meta first revealed plans last October to block all third-party AI chatbots from using WhatsApp via its Business API. The company argued that its systems weren’t built to handle the heavy load generated by AI responses.

“The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API put a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support,” Meta said at the time, adding that WhatsApp was never intended to function as an app marketplace for AI tools.

Since then, regulators in several regions including the EU, Italy, and Brazil have launched antitrust investigations. Brazil initially ordered Meta to suspend the ban, but a court overturned that ruling last week. As a result, Meta has instructed developers not to offer AI chatbots to WhatsApp users in Brazil.

With the policy now in effect, developers can no longer operate full AI chatbot experiences on WhatsApp. Instead, they must send predefined messages directing users to their websites or apps. Major providers like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft announced last year that their WhatsApp bots would stop working after January 15, urging users to access their services on other platforms.