Meta doesn’t always grab headlines; OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic tend to dominate those conversations.
But while everyone else is busy talking, Meta is quietly building something big, and the numbers are starting to show it.
The company revealed during its first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday that its business AI tools now power around 10 million conversations per week.
That’s as of late March 2026. Back in January, that number was just 1 million. That’s ten times the volume in roughly three months.
What Changed?
First, Meta expanded its business AI assistant beta program. It opened up access not just in the U.S., but also across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
More markets mean more businesses, and more businesses mean more conversations.
Second, Meta has been steadily baking AI tools directly into the platforms that small businesses already use every day. That’s WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook.
These aren’t separate apps but features businesses already know how to use. When you meet people where they already are, adoption tends to follow.
Meta’s Business AI
It’s an AI assistant for small businesses on Meta’s messaging platforms. It can handle customer questions, respond to inquiries, and help manage conversations at scale, without requiring a full support team behind it.
Right now, it’s free; Meta isn’t charging businesses a single cent for access. That’s a deliberate strategy.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg was upfront about this during the call: “Business AIs today are currently free for most businesses on our messaging apps, but as we make more progress, we expect that we will also work towards establishing a longer-term monetization model.”
Muse Spark
Meta is also powering these business tools with its newest large language model, called Muse Spark.
This is the first model to come out of Meta Superintelligence Labs, a division the company set up in 2025.
Muse Spark represents a ground-up rebuild of Meta’s AI approach, not just an update to what came before. Think of it as a fresh foundation, rather than a patch on an older system.
It’s the engine running under the hood of these business tools, and Meta is betting it will get much stronger from here.
Advertisers
CFO Susan Li shared some striking numbers on the call. More than 8 million advertisers are now using at least one of Meta’s AI-powered ad creative tools.
That’s a massive base that spans all sizes, but small and medium-sized businesses are adopting these tools especially fast.
The tools are actually working. Businesses using Meta’s video generation feature saw more than 3% higher conversion rates in tests.
This week, Meta is also launching the open beta of Meta Ads AI Connectors. These let advertisers link their Meta ad account directly to an AI agent, a step toward more automated, AI-driven ad management.
WhatsApp Revenue
While AI gets the spotlight, WhatsApp is quietly becoming one of Meta’s most interesting revenue stories.
The company’s family of apps generated $885 million in the quarter, a figure driven largely by paid messaging on WhatsApp and app subscriptions.
Meta also started testing a WhatsApp Plus subscription earlier this month. It gives users access to custom icons, themes, and notification sounds.
It’s mostly cosmetic for now, but it signals that Meta sees real potential in premium consumer features.
WhatsApp has over 2 billion users worldwide. Even a small fraction converting to a paid tier adds up fast.
Meta’s Rise
Meta posted $26.8 billion in profit for the first quarter of 2026. A year ago, that number was $16.6 billion. Revenue came in at $56.3 billion, up 33% year over year.
These are staggering numbers for a company that many people wrote off just a few years ago when its metaverse bet was bleeding cash.
The AI pivot, combined with a relentless focus on ad performance, has turned the company’s fortunes around in a dramatic way.
