OpenAI launches 'Businesses in ChatGPT' beta, letting firms claim profiles and open AI agents

OpenAI launched 'Businesses in ChatGPT' in beta on November 10, letting companies manage for the first time how they appear inside ChatGPT. In the new Business Hub, businesses can claim and verify a free profile, update their website, description, logo, delivery and return policies, and upload a product feed with prices and availability; eligible U.S. ecommerce and online service businesses can also open a 'Business Agent' inside ChatGPT, with AI answering shoppers' questions directly.

Business Hub: claim, verify, see the data

Business Hub sits in ChatGPT's sidebar (chatgpt.com/business-hub). Claiming starts by proving a connection to the business: verification options include a code sent by text, call or business email, a TXT record added to the company's domain, or a Shopify login; after passing an identity check with verification firm Persona (which can ask for government ID and business registration details), the profile shows a blue verification check. Claimed businesses can see 28 days of data: how often ChatGPT mentions them, website clicks, and the common themes in answers that cited their website. OpenAI says claiming a profile does not change a business's visibility in ChatGPT's answers.

Business Agents: U.S. first, free for now

Business Agents are initially open only to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States, letting shoppers ask the business's AI agent about products and services inside ChatGPT; OpenAI stresses that the agent's conversation is kept separate from ChatGPT's own independent answers. The agents are free for now, and businesses can also pay to sponsor their agent and use it as the destination for ChatGPT ads. OpenAI says businesses do not receive users' conversations with ChatGPT or with the agent, only aggregated data.

ChatGPT is becoming more like a search and shopping entry point

OpenAI says 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT each week. The launch moves ChatGPT closer to Google-style business profiles and local search: companies can correct the information ChatGPT shows about them while reaching customers directly inside a conversation. OpenAI also says neither claiming a profile nor advertising changes ChatGPT's independent answers, and its policy reserves the right to decline businesses whose products or practices raise safety or integrity concerns, with some categories on hold until safeguards are ready. Sources: OpenAI; TechCrunch.