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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta on Nov. 10 that lets businesses manage profiles, share product data and track how they appear in ChatGPT. It also acquired AI travel startup Odessia, while reports put its third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion and operating losses at $10.9 billion. The moves point to a broader effort to make ChatGPT a place where people discover businesses and products, though the tools’ reach and commercial impact remain unknown.
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, giving companies tools to claim profiles, provide product information and see aggregated data on how they appear in chatbot responses. The company also acquired AI travel startup Odessia, in a pair of developments that point to an effort to make ChatGPT a destination for discovering and comparing businesses, not just a conversational assistant.
The new Business Hub lets companies claim and verify a profile, update business details and add product feeds with pricing and availability. OpenAI says the Hub can show aggregated mentions in ChatGPT responses, profile views, website clicks and topics that lead users to a business. Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch reported the launch based on OpenAI’s announcement. OpenAI has not published a detailed description of its verification process.
A second feature, Business Agents, allows eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses to offer a separate chatbot inside ChatGPT. Companies supply the agent’s instructions and information about their offerings; users can open it from a ChatGPT answer to ask questions or compare products. OpenAI says these interactions are labeled and kept separate from the user’s main conversation.
Businesses may sponsor an agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled, according to the company. OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or agent chats with businesses, and that Hub insights appear only after activity reaches certain thresholds. The features are in beta, and the agent offering is limited to eligible businesses in the United States.
OpenAI looks beyond ChatGPT toward business discovery
Business profiles, product data and agents could turn ChatGPT into a place to discover and compare businesses. Their reach and commercial impact remain unknown.
What businesses can do
The beta gives companies ways to manage information and connect with people using ChatGPT.
Manage a profile
Claim a profile, update business details and add product feeds with pricing and availability.
Answer product questions
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer a separate chatbot for users to ask questions or compare products.
See visibility signals
Aggregated data can show mentions, profile views, website clicks and topics that lead users to a business.
From discovery to commerce
The features create possible routes from a ChatGPT answer to a business conversation or website.
Businesses provide profile information and product data.
Users can discover businesses, compare products or open a Business Agent.
A conversation or website click may connect discovery with the business.
More than a chatbot
OpenAI is adding business-managed information and conversations to its push into discovery and commerce.
- Profiles and product feeds
- Separate Business Agents
- Optional sponsored placements
- How many users will encounter them
- Whether they lead to purchases
- How businesses are verified
The wider push
OpenAI also acquired AI travel startup Odessia; founder Francis Davidson said he would join the company. Deal terms and the startup’s planned role were not disclosed.
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Discovery Channel
The launch gives businesses a way to manage information that may shape how ChatGPT describes them, while creating a measurement tool for visibility in AI-generated answers. For merchants, product feeds could make current prices and availability easier for the assistant to use. The Hub’s mention and click data may also offer a new, though limited, view of referrals from ChatGPT.
The commercial implications are not yet established. Profiles and agents create potential routes from product discovery to a business conversation or website, while sponsorship offers a paid route to prominence. But OpenAI has not released evidence showing how often users encounter these features, whether they lead to purchases, or how sponsored agents affect recommendations. For users, the stated separation and labeling of business chats and ads will matter as ChatGPT takes on more commercial functions.
The developments arrive as OpenAI builds an advertising business. The company said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. That figure is a run rate, not a report of revenue earned over a full year. The new business tools broaden the ways companies could participate, but do not by themselves show that the model is working at scale.
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From Chatbot to Commerce Platform
OpenAI described the beta as an early step toward bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT. The company’s stated starting points are accurate business information, useful insights and conversations intended to help users make informed decisions. The comparison with Google Business Profile is useful: both give businesses a way to manage information that people may rely on when choosing where to go or what to buy. The services are not identical, and the ChatGPT features remain in beta.
OpenAI has previously tried to make ChatGPT a shopping destination with direct checkout and a commission model. TechCrunch reported that the effort did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new approach puts more emphasis on business-managed profiles, product data and conversations, rather than relying only on a checkout flow inside ChatGPT.
Odessia’s founder, Francis Davidson, announced the acquisition and said he would join OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the hire to TechCrunch, but the companies did not disclose the deal’s terms. Separately, The Information reported that OpenAI generated about $10 billion in third-quarter revenue. Bloomberg reported growth of nearly 50% from the previous quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, put operating losses for the quarter at $10.9 billion.
Reach, Revenue and Verification Remain Open
OpenAI has not explained in detail how businesses will be verified, how product feeds or profiles may affect which companies appear in answers, or how the system handles conflicting or outdated information. It has also not provided usage figures, conversion data or evidence that businesses will gain measurable sales from the beta. Hub analytics are aggregated and subject to activity thresholds, so some businesses may not see detailed results.
The scope of the Odessia acquisition is also unclear. The terms were not disclosed, and the available reporting confirms the founder’s move to OpenAI rather than explaining how the startup’s technology or team will be used. The reported financial figures come from media reports and sources familiar with the matter; OpenAI has not published quarterly financial statements. Revenue growth and operating losses describe different parts of the company’s finances and do not establish the performance of the new tools.
Beta Rollout and Business Adoption
Businesses that qualify can claim profiles through Business Hub; existing OpenAI Enterprise customers and advertisers can work through their OpenAI representative, while Shopify merchants can connect through the Hub or Shopify’s admin tools, according to reporting on the launch. OpenAI has not announced a broader rollout date or a timetable for expanding Business Agents beyond eligible U.S. companies.
The next evidence to watch is how widely businesses adopt the features and whether OpenAI publishes more detail on verification, data thresholds, agent availability and results. Adoption and usage data would help show whether the tools become a meaningful channel for customer discovery or remain a limited beta. For now, OpenAI has announced the infrastructure, but not its reach or commercial outcomes.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch for businesses?
OpenAI introduced Businesses in ChatGPT, a beta with a Business Hub for claiming profiles, updating information, adding product feeds and viewing aggregated visibility data. Eligible businesses can also offer separate Business Agents inside ChatGPT.
Can businesses pay to appear in ChatGPT?
OpenAI says a business can sponsor its Business Agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads. Sponsored placements are labeled. The company has not disclosed how broad access to these options will be.
Does OpenAI share users’ chats with businesses?
OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses. It says businesses receive aggregated insights only after activity passes certain thresholds.
What was the Odessia acquisition?
AI travel agent startup founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the company and that he was joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch; the financial terms and planned use of Odessia’s technology were not disclosed.
Are OpenAI’s reported financial figures confirmed by the company?
No. Media outlets reported about $10 billion in third-quarter revenue and $10.9 billion in operating losses, but OpenAI has not published financial statements for the quarter. The revenue figure was reported by The Information; Bloomberg separately reported nearly 50% quarter-over-quarter growth, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
