Meta has acquired Swedish AI startup Stilla.ai to accelerate development of Meta Business Agent, which facilitates transactions on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The deal underscores Meta's push to bring its AI technology to the commercial foundation of its messaging ecosystem. Zoom in: Stilla, which was founded in Stockholm in 2024, will bring its team and technology to Meta pending the close of the deal, a source familiar with the transaction told Axios. Reality check: Stilla is a small company. The firm raised $5 million in pre-seed funding when it emerged from stealth mode in January. Stilla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Zoom out: Over the past decade, Meta has worked aggressively to build a commerce engine that connects millions of small businesses to its 1 billion-plus messaging app users. A huge part of that effort now relies on Meta's ability to make its AI chatbots useful to merchants who need support converting customer conversations to purchases. Meta has said that more than 1 million businesses now use its Business Agent chatbot to handle customer interactions. What to watch: Meta plans to expand its presence in Sweden following the deal.