Meta has unveiled a new AI-powered tool called the Meta Business Agent, designed to help businesses automate customer interactions, sales, and support across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
The announcement was made at Meta’s Conversations 2026 event in London, where the company said the new agent would enable businesses to provide round-the-clock customer service and scale operations without significantly increasing staffing requirements.
According to Meta, more than one million businesses are already using Business Agents on WhatsApp and Messenger to respond to customers. The company is now expanding access to businesses of all sizes globally.
The AI agent can answer customer questions, recommend products from a business’s catalogue, book appointments, qualify leads, and complete sales transactions. Businesses can also decide when a human team member should take over a conversation.
Meta said the agent can be configured within minutes and can communicate with customers in their local language while maintaining a company’s preferred tone and style.
The company is also extending Business Agent capabilities to Instagram, where many businesses interact with customers. Initially, businesses will be able to access the service free of charge, with paid subscription plans expected to be introduced in the coming months.
In a move aimed at boosting business visibility, Meta announced new discovery features on WhatsApp. Users will soon be able to find businesses directly through the app’s search function or by sharing a business’s phone number or contact card in chats.
Beyond customer service
Beyond customer engagement, the Business Agent is being positioned as a productivity tool for business owners. Meta said the agent can provide daily briefings summarising missed customer conversations and generate insights from ongoing interactions.
The company plans to expand these capabilities further, enabling agents to assist with tasks such as market research, product analysis, calendar management, and competitive intelligence.
Meta also introduced the Meta Business Agent Platform, an infrastructure layer that allows businesses to build, customise, and deploy AI agents at scale. The platform supports integration with hundreds of third-party systems, including Shopify, Zendesk, and Shopee, enabling agents to take actions on behalf of businesses.
For larger organisations, the platform includes enterprise-grade controls, governance tools, and measurement capabilities, allowing companies to set operational rules and deliver personalised customer experiences.
Meta said the platform supports WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram and is designed to work alongside its existing WhatsApp Business Platform.
The launch reflects Meta’s broader push to embed AI across its business products as companies increasingly seek automated solutions for customer engagement, sales, and operational efficiency.
