WhatsApp is rolling out Meta Business AI Agent, an AI-powered assistant that helps businesses automate customer support and manage conversations with customers.
The feature is now available to businesses worldwide, regardless of their size. It works with the latest WhatsApp Business updates for Android and iOS. Businesses that do not see the feature on the business tools page should update WhatsApp Business to the latest version.
AI Support For Business Chats
As more businesses use WhatsApp to communicate with customers, managing conversations has become more important. Customers also expect fast and consistent replies, regardless of the time of day.
However, handling these interactions manually can become difficult as customer message volumes grow. To address this, WhatsApp is adding AI-powered tools that support and automate communication workflows.
Meta Business Agent Announced
Meta announced Business Agent at Conversations 2026. The AI system helps businesses manage customer interactions and can handle several conversations at the same time.
This allows teams to focus on more complex requests. The AI can also respond to customer inquiries in real time and keep communication active during busy periods.
The update could change how businesses manage customer support and sales through WhatsApp chats.
The shared image shows Business Agent, an AI-powered assistant on WhatsApp Business for iOS.
24/7 Customer Support
Businesses can create an AI assistant that supports customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This allows customers to receive replies outside business hours without waiting for a human agent.
Businesses can save time because the AI handles incoming conversations while teams focus on other tasks or are offline.
However, businesses remain in control of the experience. They can decide when the AI responds, how it behaves, and when a human should take over a conversation.
This means the automation does not fully replace human oversight. Instead, it supports teams by managing routine conversations.
AI Training Options
Businesses can train the agent to sound like them in customer conversations. The AI can learn from previous customer chats, which helps it respond in a way that matches how the business already communicates.
Users can set up the AI agent directly from the business tools page. Businesses can choose whether to use past chats to train the agent.
If they allow access to previous conversations, the AI can learn how the business usually answers customer questions and adopt a consistent tone from the start.
Businesses can also choose not to use past chats and start from scratch. In that case, the AI may take longer to understand how to respond to customers, but it will improve over time as it handles more interactions.
Agent Management
Once the AI agent is ready, businesses can manage and improve it through a new chat called “Your AI agent.”
In this chat, businesses can train the agent further, add new information, and adjust how it responds over time.
Businesses can also choose different modes for customer conversations. The “My reply” mode keeps all replies manual, and the AI assistant does not take part.
The “Suggestions” mode provides AI-generated replies, but the business user decides whether to send them.
Businesses can also allow the agent to participate directly in conversations. They can switch between these modes at any time from the chat bar.
Available Across Meta Apps
Meta is positioning Business Agent as more than a WhatsApp feature. The AI agent also works on Instagram and Messenger.
This allows businesses to provide faster replies to customers, regardless of where the conversation starts.
The agent also supports the full customer journey, from answering questions to guiding users toward a purchase or resolution.
Global Rollout
Meta has confirmed that Business Agent is rolling out globally on iOS, Android, and the Business Platform.
The feature is available to all businesses worldwide without a limited launch, allowing businesses of any size to set up their own AI assistant directly through the WhatsApp Business app.
The previous related WhatsApp update covered testing a view-once option for text messages on Android.
