THE CRUNCH
OpenAI has launched a Business Hub in ChatGPT, letting companies create verified profiles that describe their products and services, in a beta feature that closely echoes the business listings Google and other search engines have long offered. Eligible companies can also build a specialised business agent that answers ChatGPT users' questions about the business and its products.
The Hub also includes limited analytics, showing businesses how ChatGPT users interact with them through profile views, mentions, website clicks and other metrics. Profiles must go through a formal verification process, though OpenAI has not detailed how it works; Benji Shomair, the company's VP of Monetization, said there are "multiple verification methods that we use for different types of business in different markets."
Per The Decoder's coverage of the beta, businesses can add product feeds with prices and availability, Shopify merchants can connect their stores directly, and eligible US e-commerce and online service providers can create Business Agents that handle customer questions and product comparisons, and can serve as targets for ChatGPT ads. OpenAI says user conversations are not shared with businesses.
The move is a second attempt at making ChatGPT a commercial destination: OpenAI previously tried a commission-based checkout system that was retired in March after failing to take off. This time the company is leaning on discovery and business tooling rather than direct sales, and says it plans to expand the offering to more markets and industries over time.