WhatsApp has launched a new AI-powered feature called ‘Business AI’ in India to help small and medium businesses manage customer conversations more easily.
The new tool has been introduced for WhatsApp Business users and is designed to provide automatic customer support directly inside the app.
With this feature, businesses can respond to customer queries round the clock without needing extra software or support teams.
What Can WhatsApp Business AI Do?
The AI tool can help businesses handle many daily tasks automatically.
It can:
Reply to customer questions instantly
Capture leads
Book appointments
Share product details
Help increase sales
Businesses can also train the AI using their own business information. This allows the system to answer questions related to:
Products and services
Prices
Discounts and offers
Delivery and shipping details
The goal is to help businesses save time while improving customer response speed.
AI Will Support Indian Languages
One of the biggest highlights of the new feature is multilingual support.
According to WhatsApp, the AI assistant will be able to communicate in different Indian languages, making it easier for local businesses to talk to customers across the country.
The company also said that support for UPI payments inside chats will be added soon.
This means customers may eventually be able to make payments directly while chatting with businesses on WhatsApp.
Businesses Will Still Have Full Control
Even though the AI can handle customer chats automatically, businesses will still be able to step in whenever needed.
WhatsApp said companies can manually take over conversations from the AI at any time.
Businesses can also:
Edit AI responses
Retrain the AI
Turn the feature off whenever they want
This gives owners more flexibility and control over customer interactions.
How Businesses Can Activate the Feature
Eligible businesses can enable Business AI directly from the WhatsApp Business app.
To activate it:
Open the WhatsApp Business app
Go to the “Tools” section
Select “Your Business AI”
Follow the setup instructions
Businesses can train the AI using:
Business profile details
Product catalogues
Uploaded documents
Why WhatsApp Is Focusing on Business AI
WhatsApp says small businesses often struggle to manage a large number of customer messages with limited staff and resources.
Meta India’s Director of Business Messaging, Ravi Garg, said customer conversations are extremely important for small businesses, and AI can help them respond faster and more efficiently.
The company also shared that 91% of online adults in India chat with businesses every week, showing how important messaging apps have become for customer support and shopping.
The new Business AI feature is expected to roll out to eligible businesses across India over the coming weeks.
