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TL;DR
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, giving companies tools to manage profiles, submit product information and view aggregated engagement insights. The company also acquired travel startup Odessia, while media reports put third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion and operating losses at $10.9 billion.
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, allowing eligible companies to claim profiles, provide product information and see aggregated data on how they appear in chatbot responses. The release adds a business-facing layer to ChatGPT as OpenAI develops ways for users to discover and interact with companies inside the service.
The beta includes a Business Hub, where companies can claim and verify a profile, update business details and add product feeds with pricing and availability. According to OpenAI, as reported by Reuters, the Hub provides aggregated measures including mentions in ChatGPT answers, profile views, website clicks and topics associated with discovery. OpenAI has not publicly detailed every verification step.
A second feature, Business Agents, lets eligible e-commerce and online service companies in the United States offer a separate AI conversation about their products or services. Businesses supply the agent’s instructions and information; users can open it from a ChatGPT answer to ask questions or compare offerings. OpenAI says these chats are labeled and kept separate from a user’s main conversation.
Companies may sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled. OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses, and that insights are shown only after activity reaches certain thresholds. Shopify merchants can connect stores through Business Hub or Shopify’s administration interface, while existing OpenAI enterprise customers and advertisers can claim profiles through their OpenAI representative.
OpenAI expands business tools inside ChatGPT
Businesses in ChatGPT adds company profiles, product information and separate AI agents. The beta gives companies ways to manage details and view aggregated engagement insights.
What businesses can do
The new tools create a business-facing layer for discovery and customer interaction in ChatGPT.
Manage a profile
Eligible companies can claim and verify profiles, update details, and add product feeds with pricing and availability.
Answer product questions
Eligible US e-commerce and online service companies can offer separate AI conversations about their products or services.
See aggregated activity
Measures can include mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics, subject to activity thresholds.
From discovery to conversation
Business details and product feeds can help users find information in ChatGPT answers.
Users can open an eligible company’s Business Agent to ask questions or compare offerings.
Companies may sponsor agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled.
What is known—and still open
- Shopify merchants can connect through Business Hub or Shopify administration.
- Existing enterprise customers and advertisers can claim profiles through their OpenAI representative.
- OpenAI says user conversations are not shared with businesses.
- How profile information affects recommendations or whether verification changes placement.
- The full verification process and activity thresholds for insights.
- When the beta may expand to more businesses or markets.
Other reported developments
These add context to OpenAI’s broader strategy but are separate from the business-tools launch.
| Development | What was reported | What remains undisclosed |
|---|---|---|
| Odessia acquisition | Founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he would join OpenAI. | Price and other terms. |
| Third-quarter finances | Media reports put revenue at about $10 billion and operating losses at $10.9 billion. | OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figures. |
A New Business Layer Inside ChatGPT
The launch gives companies a direct way to manage some of the information ChatGPT may use when describing their offerings. It also gives them aggregated visibility measures—mentions, views and clicks—that could help assess how users encounter their businesses through the assistant. The actual reach and usefulness of those measures will depend on usage and on how OpenAI defines its reporting thresholds.
For users, profiles and product feeds could make business details and availability easier to surface in answers. Business Agents add a path from general recommendations to a company-specific conversation. At the same time, the option to sponsor an agent places paid promotion alongside discovery, making clear labeling and the separation between organic answers and advertising relevant to how people interpret recommendations.
The features may matter to businesses that already track search listings and referrals, but the comparison with Google Business Profile is not exact. OpenAI’s tools are in beta, the available markets and business types are limited, and the company has not described how profile data affects its answers. For now, companies can manage information and observe certain interactions; no particular level of visibility or customer traffic is guaranteed.
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Profiles Follow Earlier Shopping Tests
OpenAI described the release as an early step toward bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT. The company said the initial focus is accurate business information, useful insights and conversations intended to help users make informed decisions. The US-only eligibility for Business Agents means the interactive component is not yet broadly available to businesses in other markets.
OpenAI has previously tested a more direct shopping role for ChatGPT. TechCrunch reported that an earlier effort involving checkout and commissions did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new approach centers on business-supplied profiles, product feeds and separate agents, with sponsored placements available through the advertising system.
Two other developments reported on Nov. 10 add financial and product context, but are distinct from the launch. Startup founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired his AI travel agent company, Odessia, and that he would join OpenAI; an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the hire to TechCrunch. The acquisition price and other terms were not disclosed.
The Information reported that OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue reached about $10 billion. Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported growth of nearly 50% from the prior quarter. Separately, the Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, said operating losses widened to $10.9 billion in the quarter. OpenAI has not published financial statements; CFO Sarah Friar discussed the quarter in an interview with Yahoo Finance.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired his AI travel agent startup and that he is joining the company.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Beta Limits and Open Questions
OpenAI has not said how profile information or product feeds affect which businesses ChatGPT recommends, or whether verified profiles receive any particular placement. The verification process is not fully public, and the company has not specified the activity thresholds required before businesses receive insights.
The launch does not establish how many companies will participate, how often users will encounter Business Agents, or whether the features will expand beyond eligible US businesses. OpenAI’s statements about keeping conversations private are company assurances; the source material does not provide an independent audit of those practices. The financial figures reported by media outlets also have not been confirmed in published company accounts.
Expansion Depends on Beta Results
Businesses can begin claiming profiles through the available Business Hub routes, while eligible US companies can set up Business Agents. OpenAI has not announced a timetable for ending the beta, expanding eligibility or adding markets. The next signals to watch are changes to access, the detail OpenAI provides about verification and reporting, and whether the company explains how business information shapes ChatGPT answers.
For companies considering participation, the immediate steps are to check whether they qualify, review the accuracy of business and product information, and understand how sponsored-agent placement is labeled. Further details about the Odessia acquisition and OpenAI’s financial performance may emerge through company statements or additional reporting; neither deal terms nor audited quarterly results were included in the reports cited here.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch for businesses?
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta. It includes a Business Hub for claiming profiles and adding product information, plus Business Agents for eligible companies to answer questions in separate chats.
Can any company create a Business Agent?
No. At launch, Business Agents are limited to eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the United States. OpenAI has not announced broader availability.
Can businesses see users’ ChatGPT conversations?
OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses. It says business insights are aggregated and appear only after activity passes certain thresholds.
Did OpenAI confirm the reported $10 billion in quarterly revenue?
The figure was reported by The Information, with Bloomberg separately reporting nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figures.
What is known about OpenAI’s acquisition of Odessia?
Founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the AI travel agent startup and that he is joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the hire to TechCrunch, but the acquisition terms were not disclosed.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
