OpenAI launches Businesses in ChatGPT beta

OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta, giving eligible organizations a way to claim and manage their business information inside ChatGPT. The beta also introduces Business Agents, initially limited to eligible U.S. ecommerce and online-service businesses.

The new Business Hub lets eligible businesses claim an existing organization or add one, update business details, connect product feeds with pricing and availability, and view engagement insights. Claiming is available where ChatGPT operates and the required verification is supported, with eligibility depending on the business’s location and type.

A business owner or authorized representative must submit a claim and receive approval. OpenAI’s setup guidance says Persona identity verification is then required before a business can publish profile changes, view insights, connect a product feed or create an eligible Business Agent.

Business Agent eligibility is narrower than the claiming workflow. At launch, a business must be an eligible ecommerce or online-service company in the United States, have a website and meet OpenAI’s industry requirements. The business reviews the product and policy information used by the agent, can write instructions and test responses, and must publish the agent before customers can use it.

Users can choose to open a clearly labeled Business Agent chat from a business profile. OpenAI says that exchange is separate from the user’s original ChatGPT conversation and distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answers. The company’s Business Agents Policy sets additional requirements for businesses that offer an agent.

Business Hub insights aggregate activity such as mentions, website clicks and discovery topics. OpenAI says businesses do not receive individual prompts, customer conversations or Business Agent chats. It also says some metrics appear only after minimum thresholds are met, but it did not disclose those thresholds.

Claiming a business does not guarantee greater visibility or give the organization direct control over ChatGPT’s independent recommendations, according to the setup guidance. OpenAI also says advertising does not influence those independent answers.

OpenAI said ChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly users, a company-provided figure that was not independently audited in the reviewed sources. The company said it plans to expand Business Agents to more markets and business categories but did not provide a timetable.