Meta has introduced AI-driven ad targeting on WhatsApp, aiming to enhance business marketing by leveraging user behavior on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, Meta launched an AI chatbot for business inquiries and integrated Brazil’s PIX payment method into WhatsApp’s payment tool.
Meta has launched its first AI-driven ad targeting program for businesses on WhatsApp, marking a significant shift for the popular chat service. The announcement was made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg via video at a conference in Brazil on Thursday.
WhatsApp, known for its strong privacy credentials and encrypted messaging, has long avoided the targeted advertising tools that are a hallmark of Meta’s other platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. However, Meta has been gradually introducing commerce and payment features on WhatsApp, including business messaging tools for customer service and marketing.
Previously, these tools were relatively unsophisticated, sending messages to all users who opted in for company outreach. The new AI-driven tools will leverage behavior on Facebook and Instagram to target messages to customers most likely to be interested, provided they use the same opted-in phone number across accounts. Guilherme Horn, WhatsApp’s head of strategic markets, explained that these AI tools would help businesses optimize ad delivery to engaged users, enhancing the value of their marketing spend.
Meta has been increasing efforts to monetize WhatsApp, its most widely used app daily. Despite its popularity and the substantial $22 billion acquisition price in 2014, WhatsApp has contributed minimally to Meta’s overall revenue. At the conference, Meta also introduced an AI chatbot designed to handle business inquiries directly within chats, reflecting Zuckerberg’s vision of automating business communications.
The chatbot will assist users with common requests such as finding catalogs or consulting business hours, similar to existing AI-powered customer service platforms. Additionally, Meta announced the integration of Brazil’s instantaneous digital payment method, PIX, into WhatsApp’s payment tool in the country. PIX, designed by Brazil’s central bank, accounted for about 39% of transactions in Brazil last year and offers services similar to WhatsApp’s payment features, such as money transfers and business purchases.
WhatsApp similarly began offering payment services from rival providers in India last year, expanding its financial capabilities.
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