OpenAI lets brands claim ChatGPT profiles, launch agents

OpenAI on Tuesday, November 10, released a beta called "Businesses" in ChatGPT. Companies can now claim and verify their profiles, add product feeds and see data on how users interact with them on the chatbot, Reuters reported. Eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the US can also publish AI "Business Agents" that answer customer questions on the brand's behalf. OpenAI is pitching the product as a way to reach the 1.2 billion people who use ChatGPT each week.openai.com+1

How Business Hub works

Once verified through Business Hub, companies can update key details and add product feeds with pricing and availability, OpenAI said. Any eligible business in a market where ChatGPT is available can submit a claim. Shopify ↘ 4.56% merchants can connect their stores to speed up verification. Before publishing changes or viewing insights, businesses must pass identity verification through Persona, according to OpenAI's help center.help.openai.com+1

The insights dashboard shows mentions, views and website clicks, along with "discovery topics," the common themes in conversations where ChatGPT cites a business's site. A spokesperson told Digiday that "just naming the brand doesn't count" as a mention. OpenAI says it does not share user conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses, and it releases insights only once interactions pass certain privacy thresholds.openai.com+1

Agents, free for now, and ads

Business Agent chats are clearly labeled and kept separate from a user's main ChatGPT conversation. Businesses write the agent's instructions and supply the business context it draws on. Companies can also sponsor their agent and use it as the destination for ChatGPT Ads.theverge.com+1

"Think of the business agent as the organic experience," Benji Shomair, OpenAI's vice president of monetization, said in a press briefing quoted by Digiday. "The sponsored agent is the paid experience." OpenAI began testing that paid format in September. Business Hub and the agents are free for now, but Shomair did not rule out charging later. He also said brands cannot bring their own agents, and that when a customer is ready to buy, the agent sends them to the brand's own website.digiday.com

Pressure on AI visibility firms

Shomair said claiming a profile "should not have an impact on how frequently it appears" in ChatGPT's recommendations. He added that better information could help ChatGPT show a business in more relevant conversations. Adweek noted that the analytics tool competes directly with startups that sell brands estimates of their AI visibility.adweek.com+1

"The fact that OpenAI will now share insights itself will take some of the power away from the third-party companies," said Debra Aho Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights. "But OpenAI isn't going to share everything it knows."