Meta expands AI-powered advertising with Live Video Ads and affiliate tools across 3.5 billion users

Meta transforms product discovery and purchasing with AI-driven commerce tools

Meta announced sweeping updates at Cannes 2026 that fundamentally reshape how product discovery and purchasing happens across its platforms. With 3.5 billion users across Facebook and Instagram experiencing a shift where discovery increasingly happens inside content, creator posts, and conversations, Meta is deploying AI-powered tools to turn discovery into purchase more seamlessly than ever before1

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. The company's AI-enabled discovery engine now surfaces more relevant products and content, creating what Meta describes as a broader AI-driven shopping experience that delivers increased ROI for businesses2

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Live Video Ads expand globally with live commerce platform integrations

Meta is bringing Live Video Ads to Instagram while expanding them globally on Facebook, making it easier for businesses to promote livestreams and reach new audiences across both platforms1

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. In the United States, Meta is partnering with live commerce platforms including CommentSold, Firework, LiveMeUp, Sprii, and TalkShopLive to convert eligible livestreams into ad formats that can reach new customers2

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. On Facebook, Live Shopping Tools work alongside these video ads to create an in-stream shopping experience where viewers can browse products, check pricing, and discover items without leaving the livestream1

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. This integration addresses the growing demand for live commerce experiences that blend entertainment with immediate purchasing opportunities.

Virtual cards partnership with Mastercard and Visa enhances checkout security

Starting this summer, Meta is rolling out a checkout system using virtual cards in partnership with Mastercard and Visa on Facebook and Instagram1

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. The system generates temporary, one-time card numbers linked to existing Mastercard or Visa accounts, allowing users to complete purchases without sharing actual card details with businesses2

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. This approach aims to enhance consumer security and increase purchase confidence by improving transaction security during checkout, addressing a critical friction point in social commerce1

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Affiliate program expansion brings major marketplace partners across regions

Meta is significantly expanding its affiliate program expansion across Facebook and Instagram with new marketplace partners tailored to key global markets1

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. Flipkart joins as an affiliate partner in India, while Mercado Libre launches in Brazil and Mexico, and Lazada will soon arrive for Facebook creators in Asia2

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. Creators in 22 countries can now add affiliate links or tag products from business catalogs directly on Instagram in Reels and Feed1

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. When someone purchases a product through a creator's post, the creator earns commission from the affiliate partner, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem. Flipkart affiliate tools are also extending to Instagram creators in India, enabling creator product tagging that connects discovery with monetization opportunities2

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AI-powered advertising makes product data foundational across Sales campaigns

Meta is fundamentally changing how AI-driven Sales campaigns work by making product data a core input across all advertising formats this summer1

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. Product details including title, price, availability, and description are now used across multiple ad formats, with Meta's AI automatically matching products with relevant audiences and generating optimized ad formats in real time2

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. Instead of manually choosing between different ad types, advertisers provide both product data and creative assets, and Meta's ads system assembles the best-performing ad for each viewer automatically1

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. This removes the fragmentation where performance-driving product data was previously only used in certain ad types, enabling Meta's AI to deliver more effective formats based on individual user preferences2

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Product data integration extends across Meta's AI ecosystem

Beyond advertising, Meta is integrating product data into its wider AI ecosystem, creating multiple touchpoints for product discovery1

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. When advertisers invest in their product data, products can surface in Meta AI Shopping mode available to US users in the Meta AI app, recommendations from Business Agents, and creator product tagging in Reels2

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. This connects discovery and purchase across Meta's apps through AI-driven recommendations and automation, creating what the company positions as a comprehensive system where purchasing can happen as naturally as product discovery1

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. For businesses and creators, this means watching how AI-driven personalization impacts conversion rates and whether the automated ad assembly truly outperforms manual campaign optimization across different product categories and audience segments.