WhatsApp announced on May 7, 2026, the launch of “Business AI” for its Business app users in India. This new feature is designed to empower small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by automating customer interactions, streamlining sales conversions, and efficiently managing high volumes of inquiries without the need for additional third-party tools.
Automated Assistance for Indian Businesses
The AI assistant offers round-the-clock customer support, available in all native Indian languages. Eligible businesses can leverage the tool to respond to customer queries, capture new leads, schedule appointments, and recommend products directly within WhatsApp chats.
Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, highlighted that the AI assistant can be tailored using a business's existing catalogues, documents, and profile information. This customization allows the AI to accurately answer questions related to products, pricing, discounts, shipping, and other common customer service inquiries.
Addressing SMB Challenges and Future Payments
Ravi Garg, Director, Business Messaging, Meta India, emphasized the significance of this development. “Small businesses are the backbone of India's economy, and we deeply understand the value of every customer conversation for them,” Garg stated. He acknowledged that managing a high volume of customer queries with limited resources has been a major challenge for many SMBs, a gap that AI is now poised to fill. “With the introduction of Business AI on WhatsApp, we're now putting that power directly into the hands of small businesses — ensuring they never miss a customer query outside business hours or struggle to keep up during peak demand,” he added.
Looking ahead, Meta also confirmed that Business AI will soon support UPI-based payments, allowing transactions to be completed directly within WhatsApp chats, further enhancing the platform's utility for commerce.
Growing Conversational Commerce
The rollout aligns with the rapid expansion of conversational commerce in India. A 2025 study by Kantar, cited by Meta, revealed that 91% of online adults in India engage with businesses via chat platforms weekly, underscoring messaging's role as a primary channel for customer interaction.
While the AI assistant can autonomously handle routine conversations, business owners maintain full control and can intervene manually for queries requiring human judgment. Eligible businesses can access the feature via the “Your Business AI” option located under the Tools section within the WhatsApp Business app. The feature is set to gradually roll out to all qualifying businesses in the coming weeks.