Meta has named the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region as a key market for artificial intelligence (AI) and social commerce innovation, aiming to strengthen an ecosystem connecting product discovery to purchase through creator partnerships and AI-based advertising. At the online briefing "Meta APAC Business Update" on the 13th, Meta's head of Asia-Pacific (vice president), Cho Yong-beom, said AI is no longer a side project but is being embedded across the entire workflow, from campaign planning and content production to customer service. About 9 million small businesses are currently using Meta's Generative AI ad-creation tools. According to Meta, about half of APAC consumers buy products through social platforms, and consumers who discovered products on Meta's platforms spent 1.3 times more than those who did not. Meta is expanding commerce features, including "live video ads," which take viewers to the sales page without separate ad videos. Over the past year, more than 10 million creators in the APAC region have been connected with affiliate program partners, and commissions paid in the past month exceeded $24 million (about 34 billion won). On Instagram, Meta is testing a feature that directly tags products in content to take users to the purchase page, and brands can use that content as "partnership ads."