Meta AI WhatsApp features have been available for everyday users for a while now. First announced at Meta Connect in 2023, Meta AI for WhatsApp allows users to generate images, chat with a bot in group conversations, search for information, and more.
In April 2024, Meta updated WhatsApp’s AI functionality with new Meta Llama 3 capabilities, promising users faster, more advanced experiences and access to even more information. Now, Meta is delivering more powerful AI capabilities to companies leveraging WhatsApp Business.
At a conference in Brazil, Mark Zuckerberg outlined a significant shift in the WhatsApp Business strategy, introducing new AI-driven ad targeting capabilities and customer service solutions.
If you’re already using WhatsApp Business for collaboration, communication, and even customer service, here’s how to use the latest AI tools.
What is Meta AI for WhatsApp?
Meta AI for WhatsApp is the suite of artificial intelligence tools built into the WhatsApp messaging application by the parent brand Meta. As you may already know, WhatsApp is one of the many collaboration and social media tools currently owned by Meta.
This means it benefits from Meta’s ongoing experiments with artificial intelligence, unified communications, and collaboration. The current iteration of the Meta AI WhatsApp chatbot (and system) runs on one of Meta’s most powerful models to date, Llama 3.
It allows users to interact with advanced generative AI technology, similar to solutions like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, within their chat ecosystem. Basically, you get an intelligent, informative companion that can “sit in” on your conversations.
Like most generative AI assistants, Meta AI improves your conversational experience in various ways. You can ask the bot questions such as “Where’s the best place to book a lunch near me?” and even @mention it in group conversations and one-to-one chats.
Meta AI WhatsApp for Business: The Features
The Meta AI WhatsApp features for business users build on the capabilities currently available to WhatsApp consumers with a few additional functionalities.
Meta has been adding more in-depth solutions for customer service and collaboration to the WhatsApp business addition for a while now. Part of the reason for this is that Meta wants to reach a wider audience and increase revenue.
The social media giant has been introducing commerce and payment features on the app for a while, as well as specific business messaging tools for customer chats and marketing campaigns.
In the past, most of these tools were relatively straightforward, but the addition of advanced AI could take business communications on WhatsApp to the next level.
Now, companies will have new ways to engage customers. In addition to using conversational AI tools to ask bots questions and access informative responses, streamline search functions, and generate images, the AI tools promise to use behavioral data (from tools like Facebook and Instagram) to help target marketing messages to customers most likely to respond to them.
Plus, companies can use their Meta AI WhatsApp features to automate customer service, answering common customer queries and addressing problems.
How to Use the Meta AI WhatsApp Business Features
Currently, Meta is still rolling out its updated AI-powered features to Business users alongside other tools (like the new Event organization feature). Here’s a quick guide to how companies can use the top AI features in their workflows.
Use Meta AI to Boost Collaborative Productivity
Technically, the conversational AI experience included in WhatsApp is intended more for consumers than business users. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial to today’s teams. Just like you can interact with Google Gemini or Copilot in your workplace apps, and ask questions, you can take the same approach with Meta in WhatsApp.
For instance, if you want to ask a question about current marketing trends within your marketing group chat, you can! Simply open the chat you want to use your Meta AI WhatsApp features in, type @ into the messaging field, and choose Meta AI.
Enter a prompt, and the bot will respond directly in your chat. You can even use WhatsApp AI as a search assistant to help you scan through messaging threads and check the web. Just ask a question, and the bot will assess the relevant data and deliver a response instantly.
Create Content with Meta AI WhatsApp Image Generation
Again, this feature is available to both consumers and business users on WhatsApp. As a consumer, you might use the image generation feature to create unique content to share with friends. As a business user, you can use it to get ideas and inspiration. Or why not create content for marketing and sales campaigns? To start, open the chat you want to create an image in.
Next, tap on the message box, type @, and click on the /Imagine option. Enter a prompt describing the image you want to create. I recommend being as detailed as possible here. The more information you give your AI bot, the more likely it is to deliver the right results. Here are some prompting tips.
Meta AI will assess your prompt and use its deep learning capabilities to create an image and post it in your chat. You can then update or edit the image you created by “replying” to the message using the drop-down menu. This is a great way to create marketing resources.
You can even create animated AI images by asking the Meta AI WhatsApp bot to “animate” your content with a follow-up prompt. Alternatively, you can create stickers. Just open a chat, click on the emoji icon, and select the stickers icon.
Next, tap “Create”, followed by “Generate with AI”, and enter your prompt. You’ll receive a selection of four stickers to choose from, which you can also add to your “Favorites”.
Build AI-Powered Marketing Campaigns
One of the most recent features introduced by Meta for Businesses is the ability to create targeted marketing campaigns with the Meta AI WhatsApp tools. This feature is still in experimental mode, but some users will already be able to access the functionality.
To get started, click on the menu button in WhatsApp Business, then “Advertise,” followed by “Get Started.” You can create your ad, choosing images from your phone or catalog and entering content for it.
Once you’ve built your ad, you’ll be able to use Meta AI features to access suggestions on how to optimize your ad and even create additional content for your campaigns. For instance, if you’re struggling to create a description, you can tap “Write with AI”.
Meta will use AI tools to help ensure your ads are targeted to the right customers across its ecosystem of social media platforms (including Facebook and Instagram). The AI tools will also help ensure you follow up with customers who want to hear from you, such as people who left an item in their cart.
Meta AI in the Ads Manager will suggest a suitable audience receptive to receiving certain messages and provide insights into your campaign.
Communicate with Customers Using AI
Like most leaders in the customer experience landscape, Meta has also recognized the potential of generative and conversational AI for customer service. For some time now, Meta AI WhatsApp features have allowed companies to automate certain interactions with customers.
For instance, you can create custom greeting messages with AI to automatically engage customers when they start conversing with your business. You can also use the built-in Meta AI chatbot to:
- Instantly respond to customer questions about business information, such as your business location or opening hours.
- Provide answers to questions about specific products, services, prices, and more.
- Recommend products to customers based on their specific needs and goals.
- Share inventory updates and other transactional information with customers.
Thanks to the recent updates to Meta AI WhatsApp Business features, companies will now be able to have longer, more comprehensive conversations with customers through WhatsApp. The upgraded AI assistant will assist users with a range of common requests and find catalog items.
Notably, users do need to “opt-in” to receiving AI messages, and Meta has said that it plans to show customers when messages are generated by AI rather than a customer representative.
Who Can Use Meta AI Features for WhatsApp Business?
All users can access Meta AI features like image generation and conversational chat in WhatsApp. However, to access the specific features for companies (like custom ad generation), you will need a WhatsApp Business account or access to the WhatsApp Business API.
Notably, many of Meta’s WhatsApp Business API partners already allow companies to access similar features with their own AI tools and CRM or contact center capabilities. However, Meta is one of the few companies offering these generative AI tools for free to Business plan users.
Using the built-in tools also means you’ll be able to avoid using too many additional apps for communication and collaboration.
Are These Features Safe and Compliant?
WhatsApp security has caused concerns for business users in the past, particularly when it comes to interacting with customers through the channel. Adding more conversational and generative AI tools will likely only elevate these worries.
Fortunately, Meta is doing its best to boost WhatsApp Business’s security and compliance settings. According to the company, Meta AI within WhatsApp cannot read personal messages and features end-to-end encryption. It can only read and reply to messages that are sent directly to it using the @Mention functionality.
Notably, though, customers won’t be able to “remove” Meta AI from WhatsApp directly. There’s no way to eliminate the feature, but users can hide the Meta AI button from their settings and avoid using the @Meta AI prompt.
Using Meta AI WhatsApp Features for Business
The latest updates to Meta AI WhatsApp features represents a significant step forward in Meta’s plan to make WhatsApp a more appealing tool for today’s organizations. With access to these intuitive tools, companies will have more ways to collaborate effectively on tasks, gather knowledge, and create content. Plus, they can design targeted marketing and customer service strategies.
As Meta continues to increase its focus on business users and invest in the AI landscape, we can expect to see more AI capabilities rolling out for companies in the months and years ahead.
