Meta has expanded its AI capabilities within WhatsApp Business by making its customer support AI bot, now called Meta Business Agent, available globally. The company announced the launch on Wednesday, marking a significant step in integrating AI into business communication workflows. The AI agent is designed to assist with customer inquiries, product recommendations, appointment bookings, and lead qualification, among other tasks. It is also now accessible within Instagram Direct Messages, broadening its reach for business users.
The AI agent is currently being tested with select accounts on WhatsApp Business, Instagram Pro, Messenger, and Meta Business Suite. Meta is exploring features like daily chat summaries and insights, as well as capabilities such as market research, product feature highlighting, and calendar management. The company is also working on integrating the agent with tools like Shopify, Zendesk, and Shopee to provide competitive insights. Additionally, it is developing a platform that allows larger enterprises to create custom agents tailored to their specific needs.
Meta said it is planning to charge businesses for using the AI agent, with pricing tied to subscription tiers for WhatsApp Business Premium and based on token usage for larger enterprises. This approach aligns with WhatsApp’s existing revenue model, which relies on businesses paying for messaging and click-to-WhatsApp ads. The company emphasized that the AI agent is part of its broader strategy to transform WhatsApp into a comprehensive workflow tool for small and medium businesses.
Source: techcrunch
