OpenAI adds verified Business Agents to ChatGPT for brands

Users can start a conversation with a Business Agent when a business that has created one appears in a ChatGPT response. Inside the chat, they can ask about a company's offerings and follow up with questions, such as how two products differ. Businesses set the agent's instructions and supply business context so it knows how to answer.

Chats with Business Agents are labeled and kept separate from a user's main ChatGPT conversation. Companies claim their organization through a feature called Business Hub and get verified there. OpenAI did not share its verification methods, saying they vary by business type. Business Hub also shows companies how often they are mentioned in ChatGPT responses and which discovery topics bring them up.

OpenAI describes the launch as an early step in bringing businesses further into ChatGPT, starting with accurate business information, insights and conversations. The company says it will explore more ways for businesses to reach customers, directly or through agents, in ChatGPT and beyond.

Businesses building agents can now expect to meet verified brand agents inside ChatGPT, which may affect how their own agents or product data get surfaced next to those brands. Developers working on shopping or comparison agents should check how their tools handle a ChatGPT-hosted agent that represents a company.

Verification in Business Hub is the mechanism that separates a real brand agent from an impostor, so identity checks on business agents are becoming part of the product. Because OpenAI has not published its verification methods, teams should not assume a specific process applies to their own brand.