OpenAI launches Businesses in ChatGPT: claimable brand profiles plus e-commerce sales agents

OpenAI is making ChatGPT a place where businesses manage their presence directly. The new Businesses feature, in beta, has two parts. Business Hub lets a verified company claim its profile, update information and track engagement, which TechCrunch notes makes ChatGPT 'just a little bit more like Google'. Business Agents let eligible U.S. e-commerce and online-service companies deploy autonomous agents that handle sales and support inside ChatGPT conversations. Merchants can sync products through Shopify Catalog, and OpenAI plans to expand to more markets. Greg Brockman promoted it with: 'claim your business on ChatGPT and engage with customers in new ways.'

The mechanics borrow from local search. A claimed profile gives the brand an authoritative source of facts that ChatGPT can draw on, which should reduce hallucinated hours, prices or policies. The agent layer goes further than a listing: it can carry a transaction or support conversation on the merchant's behalf. For OpenAI, it creates a channel to reach 1.2 billion weekly users and, eventually, a basis for advertising or transaction fees.

The competitive pressure is aimed at two targets. First, Google, whose Business Profiles and Shopping graph are the incumbent way brands appear in search. Second, the generative engine optimization (GEO) industry, which has grown by selling brands visibility into how AI assistants describe them. Adweek points out that first-party ChatGPT engagement metrics compete directly with GEO specialists, and marketers are already describing Business Hub as a threat to those consultancies. The launch also coincides with OpenAI retiring ChatGPT's Advanced and Standard voice modes on December 11 in favor of GPT-Live.

There is pushback on agentic commerce more broadly. United Airlines banning AI agents from booking flights was a top HN thread this week, showing that some merchants want to block agents, not court them. Watch whether large retailers adopt Business Agents, how OpenAI handles disputes when an agent makes a wrong promise, and whether ads follow the profile layer.