OpenAI launches verified Business Agents for ChatGPT shopping
Summarised from 3 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 12 Nov, 17:09 · Archive
OpenAI is introducing verified Business Agents in ChatGPT to let users chat directly with brands about products and services.
OpenAI is introducing Business Agents in ChatGPT, allowing users to chat directly with verified brand representatives to help with product discovery and comparison shopping. The feature is launching in beta, initially available to eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the United States.
When a Business Agent appears in a ChatGPT response, users can click to open a separate, clearly labelled conversation with that brand. They can ask about products, services and offerings, and follow up with questions comparing different items. Businesses can customise their agent's instructions and provide context so it responds appropriately to customer enquiries.
Companies will verify their business identity through a new Business Hub, though OpenAI has not disclosed specific verification methods. VP of monetization Benji Shomair said different verification approaches exist for different types of business in different markets. Through the hub, businesses can also access limited insights into how ChatGPT users interact with them, including profile views, mentions, website clicks and discovery topics.
OpenAI describes the launch as an early step toward deeper business integration. The company said it will explore further ways for businesses to connect with customers through agents and other means as the features evolve.
The announcement comes as a separate study by IP protection firm Podqi found that AI chatbots can direct shoppers to risky websites. Testing ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity with shopping questions about 151 brands, Podqi found all three cited fake websites, imposters, or defunct domains. Perplexity showed risky sites in 15 per cent of answers, ChatGPT in 8 per cent, and Gemini in 4 per cent. ChatGPT warned users about risky sites 24 per cent of the time it surfaced them.
How it is being reported
- AI chatbots are recommending fake retail websites, study findsShoppers using AI chatbots to research products or find places to buy items could be directed to imposters and other risky websites, a new study found. The study conducted by IP protection firm Podqi and shared exclusively with The Verge prompted ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity with a handful of shopping-related questions involving a selection of […]The Verge · 12 Nov, 17:00
- ChatGPT is adding verified 'Business Agents' to help you shop more effectivelyMove will allow for "bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT".TechRadar · 11 Nov, 12:05
- OpenAI rolls out new business profiles, making ChatGPT just a little bit more like GoogleOpenAI is looking to make ChatGPT a more robust consumer discovery engine, and a host of new features seek to empower businesses to help it do that.TechCrunch · 10 Nov, 18:49
- ChatGPT is getting verified AI ‘Business Agents’ChatGPT is going to let you chat with verified "Business Agents" that represent a brand to help you with things like comparison shopping. The feature, available first to "eligible" e-commerce and online service businesses in the US, is launching as part of a suite of business-focused features in ChatGPT being announced today in beta. You […]The Verge · 10 Nov, 18:00
In this story: OpenAI · ChatGPT · Google · Gemini · Perplexity · Podqi · United States
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