Meta Plans to Charge Fees for Third-Party AI Assistants on WhatsApp

Meta is moving toward charging third-party artificial-intelligence assistants for access to WhatsApp, creating a new revenue stream from the growing market for AI agents. The policy follows Meta’s decision to reopen WhatsApp to general-purpose AI assistants while introducing a pricing framework based on the scale of their usage. The European Commission has challenged the arrangement, arguing that the fee structure could effectively discourage competing AI assistants from operating on the platform.

The issue is particularly important because WhatsApp provides access to billions of users and has become an increasingly important distribution channel for AI assistants. Meta itself has been expanding Meta AI across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, while its newer Muse technology is designed to perform tasks rather than simply answer questions. Meta says its own AI assistant remains free for everyday use, although it has begun testing usage limits for more computationally intensive features.

Under Meta’s approach, third-party general-purpose AI providers that want to use WhatsApp can be required to pay based on their usage. The European Commission said Meta’s revised policy, introduced after the company initially restricted third-party assistants, could have the same exclusionary effect as its earlier policy because the fees may make access commercially unattractive. The Commission has proposed interim measures that would require Meta to restore access under the conditions that existed before October 2025 while its competition investigation continues.

The dispute comes as Meta increasingly treats AI agents as an important part of its broader business strategy. Its Muse agent is designed to work on behalf of users across applications, while Meta has also introduced business-focused versions of its AI tools. The company has simultaneously launched Meta One subscription plans that provide additional AI usage and premium features, giving Meta several potential ways to generate revenue from the billions of people using its platforms.

Meta’s strategy could ultimately make access to large social platforms an important battleground in the AI-agent economy. Charging competing AI companies for distribution could provide Meta with significant revenue while giving its own AI products a strategic advantage. However, regulators are likely to continue examining whether such arrangements unfairly favour Meta’s services. The outcome could influence how AI assistants interact with major messaging platforms and how technology companies monetize access to their enormous user networks.