OpenAI launched a Business Hub on Tuesday, enabling companies to create verified business profiles within ChatGPT. The feature lets enterprises showcase their products and services to users searching for information, mirroring the business profile functionality already available on Google and other search engines.
Companies can also build specialized business agents that allow ChatGPT users to ask questions about the business and its offerings. The Business Hub, currently in beta, will provide limited business insights showing how ChatGPT users interact with profiles, including metrics on profile views, business mentions, website clicks, and other data.
"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 in a statement. Benji Shomair, OpenAI's VP of Monetization, told journalists that the company uses "multiple verification methods that we use for different types of business in different markets" to verify profiles.
The rollout represents a departure from OpenAI's earlier attempt to position ChatGPT as an e-commerce platform where users could buy products directly using a commission fee model. OpenAI retired that effort in March after it failed to gain traction and never developed into a significant revenue stream.