Businesses running Instagram ads can set up AI-powered assistants that automatically respond to customers who click on an ad and start a direct message conversation. The assistant can answer product questions and facilitate sales without a human representative. This began rolling out in September 2024.

These "Business AIs" are designed for use in Instagram click-to-message advertising campaigns, where a user taps an ad and is taken directly to a messaging thread. The AI assistant then handles the conversation. Businesses can configure the assistant's knowledge base, product catalog, and response style. The feature is distinct from AI Studio (which is for organic creator DMs) and is tied specifically to paid advertising on Instagram. Meta stated at its September 2024 Connect event that it was expanding the feature to thousands of businesses.