Meta’s WhatsApp app has announced the launch of AI tools to help businesses.
KEY FACTS
- Meta launches its first targeted ad program for businesses on WhatsApp.
- CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new tools in a video that was shown during a conference in Brazil.
- The innovation marks a change for WhatsApp, the encrypted messaging service that excels in the privacy of communication between users and avoids the use of targeted advertising tools that are part of other Meta products such as Facebook and Instagram.
- During the conference, Meta also unveiled a new AI chatbot that answers business inquiries directly in chat. The chatbot will help users with common queries, such as finding catalogues or consulting about opening hours.
- With the innovation, Meta aims to monetize its popular chat service.
- The social network has been rolling out in-app commerce and payment features for several years, including “business messaging” options that companies can use to serve customers and send promotional materials to people who have shared their phone numbers with them.
- New AI tools will analyze behaviour on Facebook and Instagram to send targeted messages to those users who would receive them, provided customers use the same phone number on their accounts.
THE BIG NUMBER
Approximately $22 billion. This is the amount for which the WhatsApp app was acquired by Meta in 2014. Globally, the app has over 2 billion users and is Meta’s largest app in that regard. However, despite the service’s popularity, WhatsApp has so far contributed only a small fraction of Meta’s total revenue.
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