Apple has approved Poke as the first AI agent on its business messaging platform

News of Poke’s launch on Apple’s Business Messages comes just days before Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where an AI-enhanced version of Siri is expected to be introduced alongside other AI tools and services for app developers. It has also been rumored that Apple will open its App Store to AI customers.

But that’s not quite the case here with Poke. Apple’s business messaging platform isn’t about offering a consumer-facing mobile app, but rather a way for consumers to interact with businesses through a direct iMessage interface. This allows consumers to reach out to businesses for information, support, appointment scheduling, and more, without having to contact them by phone.

This platform makes sense as a place where AI agents like Poke can work, since their interactions are somewhat similar to those of other companies. Poke users ask the AI ​​agent a question or make a request, and it responds via text message.

It also opens up a new business model for Apple. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto-based startup behind Poke, says his startup will pay Apple on a per-user basis. Although he can’t share the exact price, he notes that it’s significantly lower than Meta AI, after fees were increased in response to EU regulations requiring third-party AI agents to be allowed to use WhatsApp.

“I think Apple has just noticed that this is the best way to deliver AI, and… actually, that’s a good thing for them, because they charge us. They charge us per user on the platform and they actually make money doing it, especially if it gets really big,” von Hagen says. He believes Apple’s support for AI customers will grow over time as well.

Obtaining Apple approval requires approval where the company verifies that it can provide live support, if necessary, and that its AI agent is clearly identified as such. Poke has also provided certifications from messaging service providers and customized its user interface to comply with Apple’s guidelines.

For example, Poke on iMessage should display link previews instead of inline links, as before, and use Apple’s style guide for things like buttons and widgets.

“It took a few months to adhere to all of these standards, and it will take anyone else who wants to build on that — and it will also take a couple of months to get through that approval process,” von Hagen said. As for being the first? That had a lot to do with trust.

“It was also important that we were very aligned on where the company stood,” he noted, explaining that many of today’s consumer products are about hitting numbers through questionable tactics. “We care about quality, and we care about having a brand that signals trust,” von Hagen said.

It’s not clear whether Apple will announce any news regarding AI agents on the business messaging platform at WWDC next week, and von Hagen was unaware of Apple’s plans. However, the startup is currently rolling out invitations to existing users that will allow them to optionally switch over to the iMessage experience, if they prefer.

Apple was not immediately available for comment.