Meta, in partnership with the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises [MSME] and the India SME Forum, today announced their intent to launch an AI-powered chatbot to digitally enable and empower MSMEs across India. The partnership is a continuation of Meta’s commitment to deploy AI for economic enablement, aligned to the Government’s vision of Digital India. 

The chatbot powered by Meta’s Llama model and available on WhatsApp will provide personalized, real-time assistance for entrepreneurs, democratizing access to crucial resources, including guidance on government schemes, compliance, credit access, skilling, digital onboarding, further supporting MSMEs navigate the digital economy. The chatbot will be available in multiple Indian languages and equipped with voice and text-based interaction capabilities, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for MSMEs across diverse regions.

India SME Forum also marked the one-year anniversary of its national DigiShaastra for MSMEs initiative, powered by WhatsApp, celebrating significant impact across the country. Launched to digitally empower one million MSMEs, the initiative has so far reached over 476,000 entrepreneurs through a series of workshops, webinars, and digital learning modules, equipping small businesses to digitize their operations using WhatsApp’s suite of digital tools, and driving growth and innovation in India’s MSME sector.

Speaking on the occassion, Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME said “

Heartiest congratulations to the India SME Forum for completing one year of the Digishaastra initiative. Today’s gathering truly reflects the remarkable energy and determination of India’s MSME community. The inspiring stories we heard highlight the transformative impact of innovation and digital adoption. Our Ministry is committed to further enabling this journey through initiatives such as Digital MSME, TEAM and various digital enablement programs, ensuring that every MSME, across our 7.2 crore ecosystem, has the tools to grow, compete globally and contribute to India’s economic progress. I urge more entrepreneurs to embrace digital platforms and become part of this movement toward a stronger and future-ready MSME sector.”

Shri Ateesh Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME said

“The question today is no longer why MSMEs should adopt digital tools, but how to make that journey simple, accessible and meaningful. As we build the next generation of business infrastructure from GST 2.0 to AI-driven services and voice-based interfaces, we must work together to ensure technology truly empowers entrepreneurs on the ground. With reforms in compliance, arbitration, and data protection underway, and with AI opening new possibilities in dispute resolution, marketing and digital onboarding, this is our opportunity to create a stronger, smarter, and more inclusive MSME ecosystem. The future will be defined by how quickly we collaborate, innovate, and turn technology into real impact for India’s businesses.”

Victoria Grand, Vice President, Business Operations and External Affairs at WhatsApp said,

“We believe that small businesses, with the right digital tools, can supercharge India’s digital economy and are focused on building innovative experiences that can turbocharge growth opportunities for them through WhatsApp. We need the right ecosystem and partnerships to strengthen the MSME economy and our collaboration with the Ministry of MSME and India SME Forum reflects our commitment to making open, transparent, and inclusive AI tools accessible to every entrepreneur in India – empowering them to grow, compete, and succeed in the digital age.” 

Vinod Kumar, President, India SME Forum added,

“Announcing the launch of an AI Chatbot powered by Meta is an important milestone in our journey to digitally transform MSMEs. Through this partnership, we are equipping small businesses with real-time, practical digital tools that simplify compliance, improve access to finance, and open up new market opportunities. We remain committed to empowering India’s new-age entrepreneurs and ensuring they continue to be the driving force of India’s growth story.”