Meta introduced the Meta Business Agent in London on Wednesday, an AI assistant designed to handle commercial interactions on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
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The announcement was made at the Conversations conference in London. The Meta Business Agent goes beyond a typical after-sales service chatbot. It browses through a store’s catalog to recommend the right product at the right time. It handles appointment scheduling and can even complete a sale. All of this is done in the customer’s language, with the merchant maintaining the ability to take over the conversation when necessary.
A Million Businesses Have Already Pioneered Testing
Meta is not starting from scratch. The company had previously placed a test version in the hands of a million businesses, mainly in India, Mexico, and Brazil. A billion people interact daily with businesses through the group’s messaging services. Until now, Meta had let this wealth of commercial conversations unfold without tapping into its value.
The novelty lies in the agency aspect of the product. Previous versions operated with pre-set rules. The new Business Agent can perform actual tasks, such as booking a time slot in a calendar or finalizing a transaction. It also sends a brief to the merchant summarizing the missed exchanges overnight. Meta plans to add market research and competitive monitoring features later.
An Open Platform for Major Clients
For large enterprises, Meta is concurrently launching the Meta Business Agent Platform. This infrastructure connects to hundreds of third-party software applications, including Shopify and Zendesk, enabling the agent to operate with access to real-time data. Fred Leach, vice president of product, cited an example of an automobile manufacturer whose agent guides the customer to the right vehicle by drawing from internal systems.
The rollout begins with a limited number of businesses on WhatsApp Business, Instagram Pro, and Meta Business Suite.
– The launch is free of charge.
– Paid subscriptions will be introduced in the coming months.
– Meta is also working on a feature for discovering businesses on WhatsApp through a name search.
Air France and Accor Are Leading the Way
Several French brands are already utilizing Meta’s messaging services on a large scale. The hotel group Accor uses WhatsApp in its luxury establishments to prepare for guest arrivals and offer upgrades. At Sofitel, this approach has resulted in a 20% upgrade rate for superior rooms. Air France was also present in London to showcase its use of these tools.
It’s worth noting that in October 2025, Meta had banned competing AI assistants like ChatGPT from its WhatsApp Business API, which drew criticism from Brussels. A few months later, the company is offering its own solution in the same arena.
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Samantha Klein is a seasoned tech journalist with a sharp focus on Apple and mobile ecosystems. With over a decade of experience, she brings insightful commentary and deep technical understanding to the fast-evolving world of consumer technology.