OpenAI is letting businesses build verified agents inside ChatGPT. The feature is called Business Agents, and it launched in beta on Monday. Eligible US e-commerce and online service companies can create one today.
A Business Agent represents a brand and answers customer questions directly in chat. Shoppers can ask about products, pricing, or differences between two items. The agent replies using instructions and context that the business itself supplies.
You only meet one of these agents when its company appears in a ChatGPT response. From there you can start a separate conversation with the brand’s agent. OpenAI says those chats are clearly labeled and kept apart from your main thread.
Verification runs through a tool called Business Hub. Companies claim their organization there and prove they actually control the brand. OpenAI is not detailing its verification methods, because different businesses need different checks, according to VP of monetization Benji Shomair.
Business Hub also shows companies how they appear inside ChatGPT. Brands can track mentions in responses and see their top “discovery topics.” That kind of data matters as more people research purchases in AI assistants rather than search engines.
OpenAI framed the launch as a foundation rather than a finished product. “Today’s announcement is an early step in bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT,” the company wrote in a blog post. It said it is starting with accurate business information, useful insights, and conversations.
The move lands while retailers argue over agent access to their catalogs. Walmart opened its website to AI shopping agents, and Amazon has pushed back. Some merchants now block outside agents completely, as The RealReal did after Meta’s Muse arrived. OpenAI’s answer is to host the conversation itself, with the brand’s permission and a verified identity attached. Meta is testing something similar with custom Muse spaces for businesses.
Source: The Verge — ChatGPT is getting verified AI ‘Business Agents’
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