WhatsApp has announced the launch of Business AI on WhatsApp Business app in India, introducing AI-based customer support and automation within chat conversations. The feature is designed to help eligible businesses manage customer interactions, respond to queries, and handle basic business operations directly on WhatsApp.
Business AI: AI-powered customer interaction features
Business AI is designed to assist businesses in managing customer communication at scale. It can respond to messages and support common business tasks based on available business data.
It includes the ability to:
- Respond to customer queries 24/7
- Answer frequently asked questions related to products, services, pricing, discounts, and shipping
- Capture leads and assist in appointment booking
- Support product recommendations and sales conversations
- Use business catalog and uploaded documents for contextual replies
Businesses can configure the AI using their own information so that responses are based on their products and services.
Business control and human intervention
Despite automation, control remains with the business. Owners can intervene in conversations whenever required and take over from the AI system.
They can also adjust how Business AI responds or disable it entirely depending on operational needs.
Payments integration and planned updates
WhatsApp has stated that UPI-based payments inside chats will be introduced in a future update. This will allow transactions to be completed within the chat interface itself without switching platforms.
Adoption insights and early usage
According to a Kantar 2025 study, 91% of online adults in India interact with businesses weekly through messaging platforms, highlighting the role of chat-based communication in customer engagement.
Early implementation among selected businesses shows measurable outcomes:
- Soil Concept (personal care brand)
- Earlier missed customer queries outside working hours
- Reported 80–90% increase in conversion rate
- Customer base expanded to over 15,000 users
- Setup completed without coding or external tools
- The Purple Sunset (custom gifting business)
- Manages 60–70 daily customer queries using AI
- Generates 6–7 orders per day through AI-handled chats
- Reports around 40% increase in sales
Both businesses reported improved response handling and reduced manual workload.
Setup process
Eligible businesses using the WhatsApp Business app can enable the feature through a guided process:
- Open the Tools tab
- Select “Your Business AI”
- Follow the setup instructions
Once activated, Business AI begins handling customer conversations using business profile data, product catalog, and uploaded documents. It can respond to queries, provide product details, and assist in sales-related interactions. Businesses can modify settings or turn off the feature at any time.
Availability
Business AI is being rolled out gradually for eligible WhatsApp Business users in India. It supports all native Indian languages and will become available to more businesses over the coming weeks.
Speaking on the launch of Business AI, Ravi Garg, Director, Business Messaging, Meta India said,
Small businesses are the backbone of India’s economy, and we clearly understand the value of every customer conversation for them. Over the years, we’ve consistently heard that managing high volumes of customer queries with limited resources remains one of the biggest challenges for small businesses. This is where we believe AI can be a game-changer for them. With the introduction of Business AI on WhatsApp, we’re now putting that capability directly into the hands of small businesses — ensuring they never miss a customer query outside business hours or struggle to keep up during peak demand.