OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on November 10, giving companies a way to maintain information about their offerings and see aggregated engagement inside the service. A related Business Agents feature lets eligible businesses answer customer questions in a separate, labeled AI conversation.
According to OpenAI’s announcement, eligible businesses in markets where ChatGPT is available can claim their organization through Business Hub. Customer-facing agents have a narrower initial rollout: eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States. Claiming a profile and gaining access to an agent are therefore different steps.
Profiles, feeds and customer interest
Verified businesses can update details and supply product feeds with pricing and availability. Business Hub reports mentions, website clicks and common discovery themes. OpenAI says it does not share customers’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses, and only provides aggregated insights when minimum interaction thresholds are met.
Customers can open a business profile from a ChatGPT answer and, where an agent exists, choose to start a conversation with it. OpenAI says that exchange is distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answer. This separation matters when a customer is comparing options: the agent represents the business whose information it uses.
Accuracy remains the business’s responsibility
OpenAI’s Businesses in ChatGPT policy requires a profile manager to own the business or have authority to represent it. Fake profiles, misleading affiliations and fabricated endorsements are prohibited. The rules cover the information a business submits, including its category, service area, hours, contact details and the products or services it offers.
That responsibility continues after setup. Prices, availability and qualifications must remain accurate, and material conditions cannot be concealed behind promotional wording. The policy also requires businesses to have rights to photographs, logos and other submitted material. Links must describe their destinations honestly and remain relevant to the business.
In practical terms, a claimed profile is not a substitute for maintaining the underlying product and service information. An outdated inventory feed or misleading description can still give a customer the wrong impression, even when the business identity itself has been verified.
An agent is not an independent adviser
The separate Business Agents Policy requires agents to make clear that they are AI representing a business. Verification alone does not guarantee eligibility. OpenAI may withhold access based on the business category or intended use, and businesses cannot portray an agent as a human or as endorsed by OpenAI.
The policy also bars pressure tactics, fabricated urgency and repeated sales pushing after a person declines. Agents must not collect unnecessary high-risk information or submit forms, bookings or purchases without explicit authorization through an approved feature. They cannot claim professional credentials or provide advice that legally requires a license.
OpenAI plans to expand markets and categories, but has not supplied a universal availability date in the launch announcement. For now, businesses need to distinguish the profile tools they can access from the narrower agent rollout, and check the eligibility and content rules before treating either as a new sales channel.
