The Meta AI WhatsApp feature has been available to the public for some time now. First announced at Meta Connect 2023, Meta AI for WhatsApp allows users to generate images, chat with bots in group conversations, search for information, and more.
In April 2024, Meta updated WhatsApp's AI capabilities with new Meta Llama 3 features, promising users a faster, more advanced experience and access to even more information. Now, Meta is providing more powerful AI capabilities to businesses leveraging WhatsApp Business.
At a conference in Brazil, Mark Zuckerberg outlined a major shift in WhatsApp Business strategy, introducing new AI-powered ad targeting features and customer service solutions.
If you're already using WhatsApp Business for collaboration, communication, or even customer service, here's how you can use the latest AI tools.
What is Meta AI for WhatsApp?
Meta AI for WhatsApp is a suite of artificial intelligence tools built into the WhatsApp messaging application by parent brand Meta. As you may already know, WhatsApp is one of the many collaboration and social media tools currently owned by Meta.
This means that it benefits from Meta's ongoing experiments with artificial intelligence, unified communications and collaboration: The current version of the Meta AI WhatsApp chatbot (and system) runs on Llama 3, one of Meta's most powerful models to date.
This will allow users to interact with advanced generative AI technology within the chat ecosystem, similar to solutions like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini — essentially getting an intelligent, informative companion that can “sit in” with your conversations.
Like most generative AI assistants, Meta AI enhances the conversational experience in a variety of ways: You can ask the bot questions like “What's the best place to make a lunch reservation nearby?” and even @mention it in group conversations and one-on-one chats.
Meta AI WhatsApp for Business: Features
The Meta AI WhatsApp feature for business users builds on the features currently available to WhatsApp users, with some additional features.
Meta has been adding more in-depth solutions for customer service and collaboration to its WhatsApp Business features for some time now, in part because it wants to reach more users and increase revenue.
The social media giant has been rolling out commerce and payment features on its app for some time now, as well as specific business messaging tools for chatting with customers and marketing campaigns.
Until now, most of these tools have been relatively simple, but adding advanced AI can take business communications on WhatsApp to the next level.
Businesses will have new ways to engage with their customers: In addition to using conversational AI tools to ask bots questions and get helpful answers, streamline search functions, and create images, AI tools will use behavioral data from tools like Facebook and Instagram to help target marketing messages to customers most likely to respond.
Additionally, businesses can use Meta AI WhatsApp features to automate customer service to answer common customer questions and address issues.
How to use Meta AI WhatsApp Business features
Meta is currently rolling out updated AI-powered features to business users along with other tools (like new event organization capabilities). Here's a quick guide on how businesses can use key AI capabilities in their workflows.
Leveraging Meta AI to improve collaboration productivity
Technically, the conversational AI experience included with WhatsApp is more geared towards consumers than business users, but that doesn't mean it can't be beneficial for teams today. Just as you can interact with Google Gemini or Copilot in your workplace apps to ask them questions, you can take the same approach with Meta for WhatsApp.
For example, if you want to ask a question about current marketing trends within a marketing group chat, simply open a chat that uses the Meta AI WhatsApp feature, type @ in the message field, and select Meta AI.
Enter your prompts and the bot will respond directly in your chat. You can also use WhatsApp AI as your search assistant to scan your message threads, scour the web, and more. Just ask a question and the bot will evaluate the relevant data and respond instantly.
Create content with Meta AI WhatsApp image generator
Again, this feature is available for both consumer and business users of WhatsApp. If you are a consumer, you can use the image generator to create unique content to share with your friends. If you are a business user, you can use the feature to get ideas and inspiration. Or, why not create content for your marketing or sales campaigns? First, open the chat where you want to create an image.
Next, tap on the message box, type @, and click on the /Imagine option. Enter a prompt that describes the image you want to create. We recommend being as detailed as possible here. The more information you provide to the AI bot, the more likely it is to return a good result. Here are some tips for your prompt:
Meta AI evaluates your prompt and uses its deep learning capabilities to create an image and post it to your chat. You can then update or edit the image by “replying” to the message using the drop-down menu. This is a great way to create marketing resources.
You can also create animated AI images by asking the Meta AI WhatsApp bot to “animate” your content with a follow-up prompt, or you can create stickers – just open a chat, click on the emoji icon and select the sticker icon.
Next, tap Create, tap AI-Generated and fill out the prompt. You can choose from four stickers and also add them to your Favorites.
Build AI-powered marketing campaigns
One of the features recently introduced by Meta for Businesses is the ability to create targeted marketing campaigns using the Meta AI WhatsApp tool. The feature is still in an experimental stage, but some users already have access to it.
To get started, click on the menu button in WhatsApp Business, click on “Advertisement” and then on “Start.” You can create your ad by selecting an image from your phone or a catalog and entering your content.
Once you've created your ad, you'll have access to suggestions on how to optimize your ad or create additional content for your campaign using the Meta AI feature. For example, if you're struggling to write a description, you can tap “Make with AI.”
Meta uses AI tools to ensure ads are targeted to the right customers across the ecosystem of social media platforms (including Facebook and Instagram). The AI tools also help with following up with customers who want to be contacted, such as those who left items in their cart.
The ads manager's Meta AI suggests demographics that would be receptive to receiving specific messages and provides insights for your campaigns.
Use AI to communicate with customers
Like many leaders in the customer experience space, Meta recognizes the potential of generative and conversational AI in customer service. For a long time now, our Meta AI WhatsApp feature has allowed businesses to automate certain interactions with customers.
For example, you can use AI to create custom greeting messages to automatically engage customers when they start a conversation with your business.You can also use the built-in Meta AI chatbot to:
- Instantly answer customer questions about your business location, opening hours, and other business information.
- Answer questions about specific products, services, pricing, etc.
- Recommend products based on customers' specific needs and goals.
- Share inventory updates and other transactional information with your customers.
Recent updates to the Meta AI WhatsApp Business feature now enable businesses to have longer, more comprehensive conversations with customers through WhatsApp. The upgraded AI assistant will assist users with a range of common requests and find catalog items.
Notably, users will have to “opt in” to receive AI messages, and Meta said it plans to show customers when messages are generated by an AI rather than a customer representative.
Who can use the Meta AI feature on WhatsApp Business?
All users can access Meta AI features like image generation and conversational chat on WhatsApp, but to access certain features for businesses (such as custom ad generation), you'll need a WhatsApp Business account or access to the WhatsApp Business API.
It's worth noting that many of Meta's WhatsApp Business API partners already allow businesses to access similar functionality using their own AI tools and CRM or contact center features, but Meta is one of the few that offers these generative AI tools for free to users on its Business plan.
Built-in tools reduce the need to use additional apps for communication and collaboration.
Are these features secure and compliant?
WhatsApp security has historically raised concerns for business users, especially when interacting with customers through the channel, and adding more conversational and generative AI tools is likely to heighten those concerns.
Luckily, Meta is doing its best to strengthen the security and compliance settings of WhatsApp Business. According to the company, Meta AI within WhatsApp cannot read personal messages, has end-to-end encryption, and can only read and reply to messages sent directly to you using the @Mention feature.
It's worth noting, however, that customers can't “remove” Meta AI directly from WhatsApp. While there's no way to remove the feature, users can hide the Meta AI button from settings to avoid the @Meta AI prompt.
Leveraging Meta AI WhatsApp features for business
The latest updates to Meta AI WhatsApp capabilities represent a major step forward in Meta's plan to make WhatsApp a more compelling tool for today's organizations. With access to these intuitive tools, businesses have more ways to effectively collaborate on tasks, gather knowledge, create content, and even design targeted marketing and customer service strategies.
As Meta strengthens its focus on business users and continues to invest in the AI space, we expect to see more AI capabilities rolled out to enterprises in the coming months and years.
