Meta Introduces AI-Powered Features to Enhance WhatsApp Business App Functionality

In the Q3 2023 earnings call last year, Mark Zuckerberg discussed the integration of AI to enhance how business accounts interact with customers for both purchase and support inquiries. Today, Meta unveiled AI-driven features for WhatsApp Business apps, including assistance with creating click-to-WhatsApp ads and automated responses to common customer inquiries.

At the Meta Conversations conference in Brazil, Zuckerberg emphasized that Meta's goal extends beyond developing a single AI assistant; the company aims to enable diverse AI agents tailored for various business needs. “Our vision is to allow any business to effortlessly deploy an agent that can engage with customers, offer support, and streamline commerce,” he stated.

WhatsApp Business users will now have the ability to utilize AI to create advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram that can initiate a WhatsApp conversation with their audience. Meta is currently testing AI-powered customer support that automatically addresses frequently asked questions and catalog inquiries. This feature is presently being trialed with a select group of merchants in India and Singapore, with plans for rollout in Brazil shortly.

To maintain transparency, Meta has indicated that it will clearly mark AI-generated messages, ensuring customers understand they are not interacting with a human representative. Additionally, WhatsApp is implementing AI to target messages to specific customer segments, enhancing precision beyond simply updating consumers about their orders. The Ads Manager will now recommend appropriate audiences likely to engage with these messages.

Meta's business partners for the WhatsApp API, including RelianceJio’s Inerakt, Tiger Global and Fidelity-backed Gupshup, and Peak XV and Shopify-backed Wati, are already offering some of these tools through their WhatsApp-based CRM solutions. Notably, Meta is providing these tools at no cost, aiming to attract merchants who may be hesitant to invest in additional technologies.

A joint report from Meta and Bain & Co. revealed significant potential for growing conversational commerce via generative AI assistants. The report highlighted that in markets like India, these tools can revolutionize consumer interactions to become more multimodal, culturally relevant, and user-friendly.

While these AI tools are offered free of charge, Meta’s main revenue strategy for the WhatsApp Business platform hinges on encouraging businesses to engage in more conversations with their customers. Through these new AI features, Meta seeks to boost the frequency of these interactions.