Meta has announced upcoming enhancements for WhatsApp Business including an AI Chatbot, aimed at improving customer engagement and streamlining sales processes for businesses of all sizes. These updates were launched during Meta’s Conversations 2025 event held in Miami.
Highlights
- AI Chatbot Launch: Meta is rolling out a Business AI chatbot for WhatsApp Business, designed to offer automated product recommendations, real-time order updates, and FAQ responses.
- Initial Rollout Region: The chatbot will first launch in Mexico, supporting both English and Spanish, with a global rollout planned for later.
- AI Personalization: The chatbot will use each business’s catalog data and metadata to deliver context-aware and personalized responses.
- Voice Call Support for Enterprises: Larger businesses using the WhatsApp Business API can now receive inbound voice calls and make outbound calls when customers request live support.
- Upcoming Features: Meta is developing voice messaging and video call support, with industries like telehealth identified as key beneficiaries.
- Ad Campaign Integration: WhatsApp Business will integrate more closely with Meta Ads Manager, allowing businesses to run multi-platform campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
- New Ad Placements: Businesses will soon be able to place ads inside WhatsApp’s Updates tab and Status section, improving in-app marketing reach.
- Privacy Protections: All calls and messages will remain end-to-end encrypted. AI interactions will be opt-in, clearly flagged, and users will have full control to pause or disable AI features.
AI Chatbot for Personalized Customer Interactions
One of the key features being introduced is Business AI, a conversational chatbot designed to assist businesses with customer interactions inside WhatsApp. This AI assistant will offer services,
- Automated product recommendations based on customer preferences
- Real-time order updates and follow-ups
- Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), such as business hours, location, pricing, and inventory details
Initially, the rollout will start with select businesses in Mexico, supporting both English and Spanish, with plans for a wider release in other regions at a later stage.
According to Meta, the chatbot is trained using each business’s catalog data and metadata, allowing it to offer more context-aware responses.
Expanded Voice and Video Call Capabilities
WhatsApp Business is also extending voice call support to larger enterprises through its Business API, addressing a long-standing limitation. Previously, only small businesses could receive voice calls from customers.
With this update, enterprise businesses will be able to:
- Receive inbound voice calls from customers
- Make outbound calls when customers request live support
Meta also confirmed that voice messaging and video calling features are in development, with industries such as telehealth expected to benefit. However, no launch date has been provided for video call support.
These features are expected to lay the groundwork for future AI-powered voice assistants, with potential integrations from partners like Vapi, ElevenLabs, Coval, and Phonic.
Unified Campaign Management
As part of Meta’s broader effort to streamline business tools, WhatsApp Business will now integrate more closely with Meta Ads Manager, which already manages campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.
New capabilities for businesses,
- Uploading subscriber lists
- Creating multi-platform marketing campaigns
- Letting Meta’s Advantage+ AI tools automatically optimize ad placement and budget allocation across platforms
This integration also introduces new ad placements within WhatsApp itself, such as in the “Updates” tab and the Status section, allowing businesses to reach users within their messaging experience.
Privacy and User Control
Meta emphasized that all voice and video communications on WhatsApp remain end-to-end encrypted, consistent with the platform’s privacy standards.
For the new Business AI chatbot:
- User consent is required: Interaction with the AI is opt-in, and clearly flagged within the chat interface
- User control options: Users will be able to disable or pause AI interactions at any time
- Data handling: Message data is stored only for the purpose of improving the AI experience for that specific business
Meta also clarified that AI-generated interactions will remain privacy-compliant, aligning with WhatsApp’s broader encryption and data protection policies.
No specific release dates have been provided for the global rollout of these features, but Meta indicated that further regional expansions and updates are planned in the coming months.
