Apple greenlights first AI agent for business messaging

Apple approved Poke as its first AI agent on Messages for Business. So what does that actually mean? The app lets businesses talk to customers directly through Apple's messaging platform, except now there's an AI handling the conversation instead of a human waiting around.

This matters because Apple spent years keeping strict control over what apps can do on Messages. They built walls. High ones. Now they're opening a specific door for AI agents, which signals they're ready to let this stuff happen—but only if they vet it first. Poke had to jump through their hoops to get here.

The bigger picture is that businesses are desperate for automation that doesn't feel completely robotic. They want to handle customer inquiries faster without hiring five more support people. Poke handles that. Whether customers actually want to chat with an AI instead of a human is the real question nobody's asking.