What changes in ChatGPT
OpenAI has announced the introduction of a Business Hub, a space where companies can create business profiles to verify and update information about their products and services. According to TechCrunch, the feature is currently in beta and closely resembles the profiles already offered by Google and other search engines.
Eligible companies will also be able to create and launch an agent dedicated to the business, which allows ChatGPT users to ask questions about the company and its products. It is the part closest to a direct interaction between the chatbot and a brand's information assets.
Metrics and verification: what is confirmed and what is not
The Business Hub will also give access to limited business data, in a setup that the publication likens to Google Analytics: profile views, company mentions, website clicks and other metrics relating to how ChatGPT users interact with products.
Companies will have to verify their profiles through a formal process. TechCrunch notes, however, that OpenAI has not provided details on how it will work. Benji Shomair, vice president of Monetization, told journalists on Monday that there are “multiple verification methods” used “for different types of businesses in different markets.” The statement comes from the company, as reported by the source, but the concrete methods remain unspecified.
Why it matters and the precedents
In the note cited by TechCrunch, OpenAI says that people turn to AI to discover products, compare options and make decisions, and that ChatGPT has become the platform for connecting people and businesses through AI. The announcement is presented as a first step toward bringing companies more deeply into ChatGPT.
The comparison with Google is explicit in the source text: search engines have always been the place where users seek information about the companies from which they want to buy. With profiles and insights, ChatGPT appears to be moving in that direction.
There is a relevant precedent: OpenAI had already tried to turn ChatGPT into an e-commerce hub with direct purchases and a commission system, including a shopping cart. According to TechCrunch, that project did not take off and the initiative was withdrawn in March. It therefore remains to be seen whether this new path, more focused on information than on transactions, will have better outcomes.
