WhatsApp AI policy 2026
The WhatsApp AI policy 2026 is a rule in Meta's terms for the WhatsApp Business Platform that has applied since 15 January 2026. Providers of AI models may no longer offer general-purpose AI assistants there, except where Meta is legally required to allow it. AI that a business uses for its own customer service, advice or orders stays allowed.
What does the WhatsApp AI policy cover?
Meta added a rule for AI providers to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms. It targets providers and developers of AI technology, such as large language models (LLM), generative AI platforms and general-purpose AI assistants. They may no longer use the WhatsApp Business API when the AI itself is the product they distribute through WhatsApp. Meta decides whether that is the case.
Since when does the rule apply?
The rule has applied since 15 January 2026. Since then, general-purpose chatbots you could ask anything on WhatsApp have been disappearing from the Business Platform in most markets.
What is still allowed?
The rule is aimed at AI as the main product, not at AI inside a business. What a business does for its own customers stays allowed:
- customer service and answers about its own products or services
- advice within its own offering
- orders, appointment requests and status updates
Two examples make the difference clear. A medical supply store uses an AI agent on WhatsApp to answer questions about opening hours, deliveries and products from its own range. That is customer service and stays allowed. A startup offering a WhatsApp chatbot for recipes, homework and travel planning distributes a general-purpose assistant and falls under the rule.
Are there country exceptions?
Yes. According to Meta's developer documentation for AI providers, AI providers may only offer general-purpose assistants where Meta is legally required to permit it. Separate pricing rules for AI providers apply there. Meta names Italy, Brazil, countries of the European Economic Area and Türkiye, among others. The situation keeps changing, so the current version at Meta is always what counts.
What does this mean for your business?
If you use AI to serve your own customers about your own offering, the rule usually does not affect you. The usual WhatsApp rules still apply: free-form replies only within the 24-hour window, an approved message template outside it, and an opt-in for marketing. This entry is not legal advice. For edge cases, check Meta's terms yourself or get legal advice.
SendSeven AI agents on WhatsApp
The SendSeven AI agent for WhatsApp is built for exactly the allowed case: it replies on behalf of your business about your offering and checks every reply against your sources in the knowledge base before sending. When a conversation needs a person, it hands over to your team. Besides WhatsApp, the same agent also replies on Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Live Chat, email and SMS.