TechCrunch: Meta launches AI business agent on WhatsApp and Instagram globally

Meta has launched its Meta Business Agent globally on WhatsApp Business and Instagram DMs, following nearly two years of limited testing in markets including India and Mexico. The agent can answer customer questions, recommend products, book appointments, qualify sales leads, and route complex queries to human agents. Upcoming integrations include Shopify, Zendesk, and Shopee.

The pricing model marks a shift for WhatsApp’s business revenue: the agent is included in WhatsApp Business Premium subscription tiers, with large enterprises paying based on token usage rather than flat fees. This aligns with how most AI-native enterprise tools are priced today.

For product managers, this changes the nature of conversational channels. WhatsApp has historically been a one-to-one communication tool; it now functions more like workflow software, with agent-mediated interactions that can scale to millions of customers. Product teams working on customer support, e-commerce, or sales automation need to account for this touchpoint — both as a distribution channel and as a benchmark for what users will expect from AI-assisted interactions going forward.

The move also illustrates a broader pattern: platforms that started as communication tools are adding agent layers to become workflow platforms. The shift in pricing from per-seat to per-token signals that cost modeling for product teams will increasingly depend on query volume and conversation complexity.