Meta launches AI customer support agent for WhatsApp globally

For years, WhatsApp has functioned as a communication layer for businesses of all sizes globally. Meta is now infusing artificial intelligence into that layer in a bid to turn the messaging platform into a viable piece of workflow software for small and medium businesses. On Wednesday, the company announced the global availability of its customer support AI bot, the Meta Business Agent, within WhatsApp. This global launch follows nearly two years of testing AI agents in WhatsApp Business for customer support in countries including India and Mexico.

The Meta Business Agent is capable of answering customer questions, recommending products, booking appointments, qualifying sales leads, and rerouting queries to a human representative when necessary. Meta is also making the bot available within Instagram direct messages. Additionally, the company is testing a way for the Business Agent to provide daily briefings and insights on chats that occurred overnight. This testing is currently underway with select accounts across WhatsApp Business, Instagram Pro, Messenger, and Meta Business Suite.

Beyond these initial features, Meta is working to add further capabilities to the agent. These planned features include conducting market research, highlighting product features, managing users’ calendars, and connecting with tools to extract competitive insights. The company is also working to enable the agent to surface businesses when users search for them, or to share contact details directly in chat.

To monetize the tool, Meta is planning to charge businesses for using the AI agent by including it in certain tiers of WhatsApp Business Premium, which is a subscription service for businesses. This represents a shift for WhatsApp, which has historically relied on businesses paying for messaging and click-to-WhatsApp ads. For larger enterprises, Meta noted that billing will be based on the number of tokens they use. The company is also building a platform to allow these larger enterprises to create custom agents that can connect to external systems, including:

• Shopify
• Zendesk
• Shopee

Why it matters

Meta is evolving WhatsApp from a simple communication layer into a robust workflow platform, a strategic move to deepen business reliance on its ecosystem beyond basic messaging and ad revenue.