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AI·2 min read

OpenAI Lets Businesses Claim ChatGPT Profiles, Launch Agents

OpenAI has launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta. Companies can claim verified profiles and track mentions, while eligible US firms can deploy customer-facing agents.

A smartphone showing a ChatGPT conversation with a verified business profile and a chat window for a company's AI agent.
Image: TNW | Artificial-intelligence
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OpenAI has launched Businesses in ChatGPT, a beta that lets companies claim verified profiles inside the chatbot and, in the US, deploy AI agents that talk to customers on their behalf. The company announced the program on Tuesday and is targeting the 1.2 billion people it says use ChatGPT every week.

Business Hub and verified profiles

Through a tool called Business Hub, verified companies receive a blue check and can update their details, prices and stock. They also get aggregated data showing how often ChatGPT mentions them, how many people click through to their website and which topics come up most in those conversations. OpenAI says it does not share users' chats with businesses.

Business Agents double as ads

Eligible US ecommerce and online-service firms can also launch a Business Agent. When a business appears in a ChatGPT answer, users can open its profile and chat with the agent, which responds using the company's product information. The conversation is labelled and kept separate from ChatGPT's own answers.

The same agent can be sold as an advertisement. Businesses can sponsor it as the landing spot for ChatGPT Ads, building on Sponsored Agents, which OpenAI began testing in September. According to OpenAI, paying does not change how often ChatGPT recommends a business.

Agents must disclose that they are AI, keep prices accurate and avoid pressure tactics. Purchases and the sharing of personal data require the user's explicit approval. For now, buyers are sent to the brand's own website, although OpenAI is building agent payments with Visa.

Why it matters

The launch deepens OpenAI's push into advertising, which passed a $1 billion annual run rate in August and now counts 100,000 advertisers. It could also put pressure on startups such as Peec AI, which sell brands estimates of how visible they are in ChatGPT, since companies can now see mention data directly from the source.

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Tags:openaichatgptbusiness agentsadvertisingecommerce

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