OpenAI Rolls Out Business Agents and Verified Profiles for ChatGPT's 1.2 Billion Weekly Users

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OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT beta, introducing Business Agents that answer customer queries and verified business profiles through Business Hub. US e-commerce and online service businesses can now claim profiles, update product feeds, track website clicks and deploy custom agentic AI representatives—marking OpenAI's push into advertising after surpassing $1 billion annual run rate.

OpenAI Transforms ChatGPT Into Business Discovery Engine

OpenAI announced Businesses in ChatGPT on Tuesday, a beta program that positions the platform as a discovery engine for its 1.2 billion weekly users

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. The initiative introduces Business Agents and verified business profiles, allowing companies to control how ChatGPT users interact with their products and services

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. This marks OpenAI's strategic shift toward becoming more like Google, where businesses manage their online presence and reach customers actively searching for information

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Source: Gadgets 360

Source: Gadgets 360

Business Hub Feature Enables Profile Management

Through the Business Hub feature, companies can claim their profiles in ChatGPT and update business information after verification

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. Verified companies receive blue checks and can modify details, prices, and stock information

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. Benji Shomair, VP of Monetization, confirmed that OpenAI uses multiple verification methods for different types of businesses in different markets

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. Retailers can upload product feeds with current prices and availability, or connect their Shopify stores to sync these details automatically

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. Businesses in countries where ChatGPT operates can claim profiles, though access varies by market and eligibility requirements

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Source: The Next Web

Source: The Next Web

Business Agents Serve as AI Customer Sales Representatives

Eligible US e-commerce and online service businesses can deploy Business Agents—custom agentic AI representatives that answer customer queries about products and policies

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. When a business appears in a ChatGPT response, users can open its profile and chat with its agent for comparison shopping or detailed product information

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. These conversations remain clearly labeled and separate from main ChatGPT interactions

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. Businesses specify agent instructions and provide context so the AI-powered business tools know how to respond appropriately

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. A shopper might ask whether a particular model fits their space or whether the retailer accepts returns on sale items, with the business supplying information and setting guidelines for responses

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Source: The Verge

Source: The Verge

Analytics Dashboard Tracks User Engagement Metrics

The Business Hub dashboard displays aggregate activity over the past 28 days, including website clicks, mentions in ChatGPT responses, and top discovery topics where businesses appear

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. For online companies, ChatGPT must reference their website for mentions to count, while local businesses get counted when their location appears in results

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. OpenAI emphasized that it does not share users' conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses, and the dashboard reports activity only after meeting minimum thresholds

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. This resembles Google Analytics functionality, giving marketing teams direct insight into whether appearing in ChatGPT answers drives traffic to their sites

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Sponsored Agents Expand Advertising Revenue Stream

Businesses can sponsor their agents as landing spots for ChatGPT Ads, building on Sponsored Agents that OpenAI began testing in September

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. According to Digiday, paying for ads does not change how often ChatGPT recommends a business

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. This deepens OpenAI's push into advertising, which passed a $1 billion annual run rate in August and now serves 100,000 advertisers

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. Agents must identify themselves as AI, maintain accurate prices, and avoid pressure tactics, with purchases and personal data sharing requiring explicit user approval

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. For now, buyers are directed to brand websites, though OpenAI is building agent payment capabilities with Visa

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Strategic Pivot After Failed E-Commerce Experiment

This initiative follows OpenAI's earlier attempt to position ChatGPT as a direct e-commerce hub where users could purchase products using a commission fee system

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. That project, which included a checkout cart feature, ultimately failed to gain traction and was retired in March

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. The new approach focuses on facilitating connections between businesses and customers rather than handling transactions directly. OpenAI stated this announcement represents an early step in bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT, with plans to explore additional ways for businesses to connect with customers directly or through agents

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. The move could impact startups like Peec AI that sell brands estimates of their ChatGPT visibility

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. Watch for expansion beyond US markets and potential fee structures as the beta program evolves into a full commercial offering.

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