Meta Unveils AI 'Business Agent' to Streamline Corporate Operations

LONDON, June 3 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms introduced a new artificial intelligence tool on Wednesday designed to automate routine business tasks, signaling its entry into the corporate AI sector. During the Conversations conference in London, which centers on WhatsApp, the company revealed the "Business Agent." This product builds upon Meta’s existing messaging infrastructure by incorporating "agentic" features, allowing the assistant to perform concrete actions for enterprises, such as scheduling appointments and finalizing sales transactions.

According to Meta, over one million companies have already experimented with earlier chatbot iterations of these agents on WhatsApp and Messenger. The updated service is set to launch on Instagram and will be made available worldwide to organizations of all scales. This strategic move underscores Meta’s intent to challenge competitors including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Alphabet’s Google in the enterprise AI space, utilizing its extensive user base across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.

The Business Agent can be tailored to reflect a specific brand’s voice when interacting with customers on these platforms. It is equipped to manage routine inquiries, screen potential leads, and transfer intricate issues to human representatives when necessary. Initially, the tool will be offered at no cost, though Meta plans to introduce paid subscription tiers in the coming months.

Naomi Gleit, Meta’s head of product, emphasized the tool’s advanced capabilities in an interview with Reuters. "This is definitely an enterprise play," Gleit stated, noting that the goal is to enable the AI to execute complex tasks such as processing payments, handling bookings, and placing orders. She distinguished this from legacy bots, describing the new system as moving beyond simple "rule-based automations."

Gleit is leading Meta’s expansion into AI agent development, supported by a newly formed "Enterprise Solutions" team established during a recent companywide restructuring focused on artificial intelligence. In addition to in-app features, Meta is launching a "Business Agent Platform" to provide companies with the infrastructure needed to create custom AI agents for managing operations outside of Meta’s ecosystem. This platform integrates with hundreds of third-party systems, including Shopify, Zendesk, and Shopee, enabling broader deployment. The company noted that the platform offers enterprise-grade controls, safety guardrails, and measurement tools for larger businesses.

(Reporting by Katie Paul in London; Editing by Pooja Desai)

Source: Yahoo News Generated at: 2026-06-04 05:46:10 UTC