Meta Launches Autonomous AI Sales Agent for WhatsApp Businesses

Meta has unveiled a new AI-powered sales assistant for WhatsApp, capable of autonomously closing deals—a significant upgrade from the platform's older, script-bound chatbots. Over one million businesses currently use basic chatbots on WhatsApp and Messenger. The advanced agent processes payments, books services, and places orders without human intervention, marking a departure from rigid automation frameworks.

Naomi Gleit, Meta's Head of Product, emphasizes the shift toward action-oriented AI: "We want it to complete payments, process bookings, and place orders—not just follow scripts." The Business Agent vets leads, handles routine queries, and escalates complex issues to human staff. Initially free, paid tiers will follow.

Concurrently, Meta introduced a Business Agent Platform, enabling companies to build custom AI agents integrated with third-party tools like Shopify and Zendesk. The initiative stems from Meta's Enterprise Solutions team, which embeds engineers directly within client organizations—a tactic borrowed from AI startups like Anthropic to streamline adoption.