WhatsApp has introduced Meta Business Agent in India, an AI-powered assistant designed to help businesses automate customer conversations, recommend products, book appointments, qualify leads and respond to queries around the clock.

The announcement was made at the third edition of WhatsApp's annual Business Summit in Mumbai, where the company also unveiled the Meta Business Agent Platform for larger enterprises. The platform allows businesses to build and customise AI agents that integrate with existing software such as Shopify, Zendesk and Shopee, while operating alongside the WhatsApp Business Platform.

The launch comes as conversational commerce gains traction in India, with messaging apps increasingly becoming a primary channel for customer service, sales and business communication.

According to Meta, the Business Agent can answer business-specific questions, recommend products from a merchant's catalogue, schedule appointments, qualify customer leads and transfer conversations to a human representative whenever required. Beyond customer interactions, the AI assistant can also summarise missed conversations and generate insights from customer chats to help businesses manage operations more efficiently.

Speaking at the event, Arun Srinivas, Managing Director and Country Head of Meta India, said messaging has become the preferred way for businesses and customers to interact in India, adding that AI is expected to play a larger role in improving customer engagement and operational efficiency.

For larger organisations, Meta has also opened access to the Meta Business Agent Platform. The infrastructure enables enterprises to build AI agents tailored to their business workflows while connecting them to existing commerce, customer support and backend systems.

Several companies are already testing the platform.

Food delivery company Swiggy is using the Business Agent to assist with onboarding delivery partners through WhatsApp. The company said conversational AI can simplify business processes by allowing users to complete onboarding within a familiar messaging interface.

Beauty retailer Madhulika Enterprises said the AI assistant has helped manage customer enquiries related to bridal bookings, beauty courses and product sales, reducing repetitive support work while increasing conversions. Adventure travel operator Kaizen Adventours is using the agent to answer questions about Ladakh expeditions, pricing, itineraries and bike rentals, particularly during peak travel seasons.

WhatsApp also announced new discovery features aimed at helping users find businesses more easily. In the coming months, users will be able to search for businesses directly within WhatsApp by name and share business contacts with friends and family from within the app.

The announcements reflect Meta's broader push to embed generative AI into its business messaging products, as it competes with a growing number of AI-powered customer service platforms. By combining automation with WhatsApp's large user base, the company is positioning conversational AI as a tool for businesses ranging from small merchants to large enterprises.