Meta has unveiled a new artificial intelligence-powered tool, Meta Business Agent, designed to help businesses automate customer interactions, boost sales and improve operational efficiency across its messaging platforms.
The announcement was made at the Conversations 2026 event in London, where the technology company introduced the platform as part of its efforts to expand AI-driven business solutions.
According to Meta, the Business Agent will enable businesses to provide round-the-clock customer support on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, helping them respond to inquiries, recommend products, book appointments and manage sales conversations.
The company said more than one million businesses are already using AI-powered business agents on WhatsApp and Messenger to engage customers.
Meta noted that with over one billion people connecting with businesses daily across its platforms, the new tool would help organisations deliver more personalised and relevant customer experiences.
The company explained that businesses could set up the Business Agent within minutes or integrate it into existing enterprise systems.
Features of the AI assistant include answering business-specific questions, making product recommendations from company catalogues, qualifying sales leads, booking appointments and facilitating transactions.
The platform also allows businesses to determine when human agents should take over conversations requiring additional support.
Meta disclosed that the Business Agent would now be expanded globally to businesses of all sizes and integrated into Instagram, where many companies also engage with customers.
The company said access to the tool would initially be free, while paid subscription plans tailored to different business categories would be introduced in the coming months.
In addition to customer engagement functions, Meta said the Business Agent could serve as an operational assistant by providing business owners with daily briefings, summaries of customer interactions and insights from conversations conducted overnight.
The technology firm added that future updates would enable the platform to perform more advanced functions, including market research, product insight generation, calendar management and competitive intelligence analysis.
Meta also announced the launch of the Meta Business Agent Platform, a new infrastructure designed to help businesses build, customise and deploy AI agents at scale.
The platform supports integration with hundreds of business systems, including e-commerce and customer service tools, allowing AI agents to perform tasks on behalf of organisations.
According to Meta, the platform offers enterprise-grade controls, governance mechanisms and measurement tools to ensure businesses can manage customer interactions securely and effectively.
The company said the initiative reflects its commitment to helping businesses leverage artificial intelligence to improve customer service, increase productivity and drive growth in an increasingly digital economy.
