Meta Unveils New AI-Powered Ad Tools to Turn Product Discovery Into Purchases

Meta has announced a suite of new advertising and AI-powered commerce tools aimed at helping brands convert product discovery into purchases across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.

The announcements, made at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026, highlight Meta's growing focus on using artificial intelligence to improve ad performance, personalise shopping experiences, and help businesses reach customers more effectively across its family of apps.

AI Shopping Ads Get Smarter

Among the biggest updates is an expansion of Meta's AI-driven advertising capabilities. The company says advertisers will be able to use new AI tools that automatically identify potential customers, personalise creative assets, and optimise campaigns based on user behaviour and intent.

Meta is also introducing enhancements to its Advantage+ suite, allowing advertisers to automate more aspects of campaign creation and optimisation. The company claims these tools can help businesses improve return on ad spend while reducing the complexity of managing campaigns across multiple platforms.

New Discovery-to-Purchase Experiences

Meta is increasingly positioning its apps as shopping destinations rather than just places for discovery. The company announced new formats designed to help users move more seamlessly from seeing a product to purchasing it. These include AI-powered recommendations, more personalised product discovery experiences, and tighter integration between content, advertising, and commerce. The updates are intended to shorten the customer journey by reducing the number of steps between discovering a product and completing a purchase.

Creator Content Plays a Bigger Role

Meta is also expanding the role of creators in its advertising ecosystem. The company revealed new tools that allow brands to more easily leverage creator-generated content in advertising campaigns. The move reflects the growing influence of creators on purchasing decisions, particularly among younger consumers who increasingly discover products through social media rather than traditional search. Meta says businesses will gain access to additional insights and tools to identify relevant creators and measure campaign performance.

Threads Gets More Attention From Advertisers

Meta also highlighted the continued expansion of advertising opportunities on Threads, which recently crossed 500 million monthly active users. As Threads grows into a larger social platform, Meta is gradually integrating it more deeply into its advertising infrastructure, giving marketers another channel through which to reach consumers.

The move places Threads in more direct competition with X for both user engagement and advertising budgets.