Chat AI was a WhatsApp-based conversational AI bot developed by Jan_Wilmake in early 2023, built on top of the OpenAI ChatGPT API. It was one of the earliest consumer-facing WhatsApp AI bots at scale, growing from zero to over 4,000 active users within approximately two months of launch.
Chat AI emerged from Wilmake's intense interest in AI automation following ChatGPT's public release in November 2022. Recognising that WhatsApp's ubiquitous adoption — particularly in Brazil, Indonesia, and other non-Western markets — made it an ideal distribution channel for AI capabilities, he built a bot bringing conversational AI to users who might not encounter it through web interfaces.
The project was developed in early 2023 during Wilmake's extended stay in Bali, Indonesia.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| February–March 2023 | Development in Bali |
| March 2023 | First paid user acquired |
| March–April 2023 | Growth to 250+ users |
| April–May 2023 | 4,000+ users reached |
Chat AI connected the WhatsApp Business API to the OpenAI ChatGPT API, with a middleware layer handling session management per user/phone number, billing, webhook routing, and rate limiting.
Chat AI's architecture and learnings fed directly into Zion, a B2B conversational AI platform Wilmake built subsequently in Brazil (mid-2023), focused on structured guided conversations for enterprise use cases. The experience also informed a core product philosophy: distribution matters as much as capability, and meeting users in existing high-engagement platforms reduces friction dramatically.