Meta is banning general-purpose AI assistants in WhatsApp: 3 ways to stay compliant

WhatsApp is putting up a wall around its Business API. Meta updated the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms in late October to block “AI Providers” from using the platform to distribute general-purpose assistants. The change kicks in on January 15, 2026, and it is aimed squarely at AI assistants, such as ChatGPT inside WhatsApp.

But there’s been some confusion around what use cases are allowed, and what would be banned. This is not a blanket ban on AI inside WhatsApp, and Meta has been clear that businesses using AI to serve customers or run specific workflows are still fine. The target is broad assistants that turn WhatsApp into a front end for an AI product. 

Why now? Meta says the Business API was built for customer messaging, not for hosting chatbot platforms, and that the new wave of assistants created message volume and support burdens that the system was not designed for. There is also the smaller detail that WhatsApp’s Business API is a revenue engine, and general assistants did not fit into its pricing model.

If your business uses AI assistants on WhatsApp in any way, it is a good idea to review your use cases more closely. Here are 3 practical ways to stay in the safe zone of the new AI assistant policy on WhatsApp.

1. Scope the AI assistant to specific business intents, such as delivering customer service and sales assistance

If your AI assistant in WhatsApp can handle almost any topic a user throws at it, that is a general-purpose assistant. ChatGPT in WhatsApp squarely falls in that category. But if usage is bound to a small set of business intents, it is an allowed business tool.

A simple way to test yourself is the intent ratio:

• 80 to 90 percent of conversations should map to a defined business intent
• 10 to 20 percent can be edge cases that get deflected or routed

If the reverse is true, you are effectively distributing a broad AI assistant, even if you did not mean to.

What counts as business intents?

These are tasks that are clearly in service of your product or operations. These include answering support questions, troubleshooting, account help, lead qualification, scheduling, returns, billing, and other business-related use cases. These are aligned with what Meta says the WhatsApp API can be used for. 

Example of a compliant AI assistant that would be in the clear

Company A sells accounting software. It uses an AI assistant on WhatsApp to qualify leads, answer questions about pricing, and handle support cases from existing customers. But if a user goes off-topic and asks for a sample poem, the assistant politely declines since it’s out of scope. The AI assistant is very useful, but only inside the company’s service perimeter. That fits Meta’s new intent for the WhatsApp API use cases.

Example of a non-compliant AI assistant that would likely get banned

On the other hand, Company B offers language learning services on their website where users can learn any language using the company’s AI assistant. The company launches the same AI assistant in WhatsApp where users can have open-ended interactions and learn French. Even if some users ask questions about the company, the main use case is still language learning, which is a generalized use case. In this case, the AI assistant is the end product, and WhatsApp is the distribution rail. This is the exact use case that Meta is banning.

Bottom line: Narrow capability is now a WhatsApp API compliance requirement.

2. Do not position or distribute a general-purpose AI assistant through WhatsApp

This is different from scoping behavior. You can build a narrow AI assistant and still get in trouble if you market or deliver it like a broad AI assistant.

Meta’s terms prohibit using WhatsApp to make AI technologies available when those technologies are the “primary rather than incidental” functionality. 

So you need to align three things: branding, onboarding, and channel role. Here are some tips to stay on the safe side.

• Do not market an AI assistant on WhatsApp: If your landing page or app store copy says anything such as ChatGPT in WhatsApp, you are framing AI as the primary product on WhatsApp. That is high risk.
  
  
• Lead with the outcome, not the model: Talk about what users accomplish in WhatsApp, such as getting order help or booking a hotel room. But do not say “chat with our AI.”
  
  
• Make WhatsApp one touchpoint, not the core surface: If WhatsApp is the main way people experience your AI product, you are likely in the danger zone. WhatsApp should be a support or utility channel for your broader service, not your main AI distribution strategy. 

3. Avoid training or improving shared models on your WhatsApp data

Even when your AI assistant is scoped and positioned correctly, Meta adds another rule: you cannot use WhatsApp Business Solution data to train or improve AI models, unless it is a model fine-tuned solely for your exclusive use. The definition of an “AI Model” according to Meta is quite broad and includes any machine learning or artificial intelligence systems, models, or technologies, including large language models.

Here are some key factors to consider:

• Your AI assistant provider is not allowed to learn from your WhatsApp traffic: If you use a third-party model or assistant provider, your contract must block them from using WhatsApp data for training. Meta explicitly says you are liable for your provider’s actions.
  
  
• Ring-fence data pipelines: Separate WhatsApp conversation logs from global training corpora. Allowing accidental flow into a shared training bucket could lead to a violation.
  
  
• If you fine-tune, keep it exclusive: Exclusive fine-tuning is allowed, but only if the resulting model is for your use alone and does not improve other models. This is a narrow carve-out instead of a blanket permission. 

Meta put this clause in because WhatsApp is a high-volume, high-sensitivity channel. If you mishandle that data, you will likely lose access to the WhatsApp API.

What products are likely to fail under the new policy? 

1. Standalone consumer AI assistants distributed on WhatsApp: any service whose whole point is open-ended AI conversation on WhatsApp will be treated as a general-purpose assistant. Think “AI friend,” “ask anything bot,” or “ChatGPT inside WhatsApp.”
   
   
2. AI-first productivity tools using WhatsApp as their main UI: For example, a broad research agent, a writing tutor, or a personal planner that users access primarily through WhatsApp chats. Even though it’s useful, the AI assistant is still the primary product, and WhatsApp is still the distribution surface.
   
   
3. Model providers trying to gain a user base through WhatsApp: LLM providers, such as OpenAI, or model wrappers using WhatsApp to drive adoption are in the bullseye. This policy was specifically written for these use cases.

What use cases are likely safe territory?

1. Customer support and account servicing bots: Assistants that resolve service questions, troubleshoot issues, handle billing, and escalate to humans. These are aligned with WhatsApp’s stated purpose.
   
   
2. Transactional and status update automation: Order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders, ticket changes, payment authentication, and similar utility workflows. AI assistants can help interpret or route the messages, which is within the allowed usage.
   
   
3. Vertical, task-specific assistants embedded in a broader service: Examples include an insurance claims assistant, a healthcare scheduling helper, or a bank’s fraud triage workflow. The AI assistant supports a defined workflow within a business use case.
   

The simple compliance test

If you’re still unsure if your particular use case is in the safe zone, here are three questions to help you come up with a clearer answer:

1. Is your WhatsApp assistant clearly limited to business intents, such as customer support?
   
   
2. Are you treating WhatsApp as a service channel, not a distribution surface for a general AI product?
   
   
3. Is your WhatsApp data walled off from any shared AI model training?

If you cannot answer yes to all three questions, you’re still not in the safe zone and need to fix your use case. Meta has given itself broad discretion to enforce these rules. 

If you’re looking for a compliant way to use AI agents on your WhatsApp Business account with a direct connection to the WhatsApp API, learn more about Visito’s WhatsApp AI Agent or start your free trial today.