Meta Expands AI Assistant to Retail Websites in Push Beyond Ads

On Thursday, Meta (META, Financials) launched Business AI, a digital assistant that extends its artificial intelligence technologies beyond adverts on its platforms to third-party websites.

The chat-based assistant helps shops recommend products and expedite purchases. Companies can incorporate the feature into Facebook and Instagram advertising or Shopify websites.

Meta said the assistant will launch on WhatsApp and Messenger in Mexico and the Philippines later this month, with more markets to follow. Website integration pricing is unknown, but officials say it will be lower than current options.

We are going beyond ads and beyond Meta to help businesses drive impact across their customer experiences and customer operations, Meta's head of business AI Clara Shih told a briefing.

The new offering helps Meta diversify its earnings beyond advertising. Mark Zuckerberg has invested billions in generative AI, positioning Meta alongside Amazon, which released a merchant AI agent in September.

Salesforce, Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Zendesk are Meta's CRM integration partners. Businesses can use the technology to route difficult queries to specialized support services, establishing a hybrid AI-human system.

Advertisers can use a separate Meta AI assistant to resolve account issues and track campaign results.

While Meta's reliance on digital advertising is under strain, investors will watch whether its AI implementation provides new monetization streams.