Apps & Consumer
OpenAI launches business profiles for ChatGPT users
OpenAI rolled out a Business Hub on Tuesday, letting companies create verified profiles, launch a business agent for ChatGPT users, and see limited analytics on how people interact with them.
OpenAI introduced a Business Hub on Tuesday, a beta feature meant to turn ChatGPT into a stronger consumer-discovery tool by giving companies a way to control how users interact with them inside the chatbot. Eligible companies can build and launch a specialized business agent that lets ChatGPT users ask questions directly about the business and its products, echoing the kind of business listings long offered by Google and other search engines.
“As people turn to AI to discover products, compare options and make decisions, ChatGPT has become the platform for people and businesses to connect through AI,” OpenAI said. “Today’s announcement is an early step in bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT.”
The Business Hub also gives companies limited business insights reminiscent of Google Analytics, showing metrics such as profile views, mentions of the business, and website clicks generated through ChatGPT. Businesses must first verify their profiles through a formal process; OpenAI did not detail exactly what that involves, though Benji Shomair, the company’s VP of monetization, told journalists that OpenAI uses “multiple verification methods that we use for different types of business in different markets.”
The move follows an earlier, ultimately abandoned attempt to turn ChatGPT into an e-commerce hub where users could buy products directly through a commission-based checkout cart, a project OpenAI had viewed as a potential rival to Amazon before retiring it in March.
Why it matters
Pairing verified business profiles with usage analytics pushes ChatGPT closer to becoming a discovery layer that rivals how people currently find and research companies on Google, a bet OpenAI is making after its earlier e-commerce push failed to gain traction.