Meta recently (December 8th) released its insights into five major social media and business trends for 2026, pointing out that AI technology will transform the consumer journey from a linear model to a more cyclical and interactive dialogue. Benjamin Joe, Vice President of Meta Asia Pacific, shared his market observations on his 100th day in office, emphasizing that the Asia Pacific region (APAC) has one-third of the world's population, more than half of the world's mobile phone users, and a social media usage rate as high as 59.9%, making it a core testing ground for innovative applications globally.
Benjamin Joe revealed that Meta AI currently has over 10 billion monthly active users and is projected to drive a market capitalization increase of up to $640 billion by 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, Meta believes brands should focus on the integration of "Agentic AI," the creator economy, and cross-border commerce.
Trend 1: Generative AI Makes Shopping More "Intuitive"
Meta points out that generative AI and automated systems will create a completely new shopping experience:When consumers see creators sharing products on social media platforms, they are no longer just passive recipients, but can consult with AI assistants that have multimodal capabilities.
For example, AI can be used for virtual try-ons, product suitability analysis, and even brand trust assessment. This makes the shopping process feel like a direct conversation with a real person, and after the purchase, AI can even help generate reviews, further driving the next round of community exploration.
Trend 2: AI-powered business messaging – conversations become business opportunities
"Communication" will be the core of future business:Meta predicts that more businesses will utilize AI tools from Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp to manage sales and customer service in the future.
Take the Philippine medical apparel brand White Coat Manila as an example. The brand pioneered the use of Business AI (not yet available in Taiwan) to automatically answer customer questions and assist with adding items to the shopping cart, successfully reducing customer service costs by 20% and increasing conversation volume by 5%. This demonstrates that "agent AI" can effectively alleviate tedious customer service work, directly converting conversations into orders.
Trend 3: Creators + Affiliate Marketing = Guaranteed Conversion Rate
Creators' influence continues to expand:Data shows that 80% of global consumers buy products because they follow creators. Meta believes that combining AI-powered precise recommendations with affiliate marketing models will be key to brand success.
The current affiliate program between Facebook and Shopee in Taiwan and Southeast Asia is a prime example. Creators integrate their content with affiliate links and use AI-automated targeting to directly convert fan engagement into actual purchases.
Trend 4: Immersive audio-visual experiences and live shopping
Videos and live streams remain powerful tools for attracting attention, especially in the Asia-Pacific region:Meta points out that nearly 200 million advertisers are already using Meta's generative AI video tools to create customized ads. In the future, by adding product links to Instagram Reels or using AR try-on in live streams, a more immersive shopping experience will be available.
Trend 5: AI-Assisted Cross-Border E-commerce
The Asia-Pacific region is becoming a core hub for global cross-border e-commerce:Through AI-driven automation tools, brands can more easily overcome language and market barriers. For example, Singaporean furniture brand Castlery successfully expanded into the Australian market using the Meta platform, optimizing budgets and audience targeting with AI to precisely connect with potential customers.
Anxiety about AI replacing humans? Benjamin Joe: It's complementary.
Addressing anxieties about whether AI will replace human jobs, Benjamin Joe believes that current AI cannot fully simulate human emotions and creativity. He likens AI to the internet, cars, or electricity—tools that change lives. AI is more like a complementary partner to humanity, assisting doctors in diagnosis, helping businesses identify opportunities, and ultimately creating more new opportunities.
Combating Fraud: Using AI to Fight AI
In response to the growing fraud problem in the Asia-Pacific region, Benjamin Joe emphasized that Meta takes a “prudent approach” and is committed to high transparency and security. He also admitted that it is a cat-and-mouse game, with fraud groups constantly using new technologies to bypass security measures.
In response, Meta has deployed AI technology to counter this. Data shows that Meta removed over 1.34 million fraudulent ads by 2025, and in the past 15 months, the proportion of fraudulent content reported by users has decreased by more than 50%.
Meta stated that it will continue to collaborate with multiple parties to prevent fraud through full-stack AI technology and system upgrades.
