OpenAI Opens ChatGPT Business Profiles and Buys Odessia

By Nathan Brooks

OpenAI is raising $11 billion at a $1.25 trillion valuation while opening ChatGPT to verified business profiles and shopping agents. The company launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Tuesday, with Business Agents initially serving eligible U.S. e-commerce and online-service businesses.

The beta lets companies claim a profile inside ChatGPT, correct what the chatbot says about them and see how often they appear in answers. Eligible businesses can also create verified Business Agents, which users open from a response to ask about products, services or differences between two products. Agent chats are labeled and remain separate from the user's main ChatGPT conversation.

What does business verification unlock?\n

Businesses claim their profiles through a new Business Hub. Once verified, they can update key details and add product feeds containing pricing and availability. Existing OpenAI Enterprise customers and advertisers can claim through their OpenAI representative, while Shopify merchants can connect stores through the Business Hub or Shopify admin.

OpenAI has made verification the gatekeeper and left its mechanics largely in the dark. Benji Shomair, its vice president of monetization, told reporters there are "multiple verification methods that we use for different types of business in different markets." The hub shows aggregated mentions in ChatGPT responses, profile views, website clicks and the top "discovery topics" where a business appears.

OpenAI says it does not pass users' conversations or Business Agent chats to companies. Analytics appear only after interaction volume crosses unspecified thresholds. Merchants therefore receive aggregate demand signals, while OpenAI keeps individual exchanges out of reach.

OpenAI called the release an early step. "Today's announcement is an early step in bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT," the company said. Its stated foundations are accurate business information, useful insights and conversations that help people make informed decisions.

TechCrunch compared the profiles with business listings that Google and other search engines have offered for years. That similarity gives businesses a familiar proposition: publish authoritative details and correct inaccurate answers.

How do agents and advertising work?\n

Businesses write each agent's instructions and provide context for its answers. A user can open an agent when its company appears in a ChatGPT answer, then ask about offerings or compare two products. OpenAI keeps those chats separate from the user's main conversation.

Companies can sponsor their Business Agent and designate it as the destination for ChatGPT Ads. Reuters reported that sponsored placements carry labels. The arrangement gives OpenAI two commercial levers in one interface: merchant-supplied answers and paid placement.

Will shoppers and merchants adopt the agents?\n

The launch marks OpenAI's second attempt to bring commerce into ChatGPT. In March, the company retired an earlier commission-based purchasing system, including its checkout cart, after it failed to gain traction, TechCrunch reported. Merchants have also resisted outside shopping agents: eBay appears to block third-party AI shopping agents, while Uber, DoorDash and Airbnb report little agent use.

Business Agents place control with each business rather than a third-party shopping agent. That distinction addresses one source of retailer concern, although neither merchant nor consumer demand is established.

What does the Odessia acquisition add?\n

OpenAI also acquired Odessia, an AI platform that helps users plan and book trips, according to The Information. Founder Francis Davidson announced the deal in an X post on Tuesday and said he would join OpenAI to work on the future of travel. The acquisition terms were not disclosed.

Davidson co-founded Sonder, the short-term rental operator that collapsed late last year, and launched Odessia this year. The startup raised a $6 million seed round from investors including Sequoia Capital, The Information reported. Skift reported that Odessia's product ran on OpenAI's GPT-5.5 model.

The deal extends a run of OpenAI acquisitions as the company pursues the $11 billion raise at the $1.25 trillion valuation. Odessia brings a travel-planning and booking product built on OpenAI's own model, but the source provides no revenue or customer figures for the startup.

OpenAI has addressed business listings and agent-based product discovery, but its earlier checkout system failed to gain traction. The next measure is whether merchants keep pricing and availability feeds current, whether users open the agents and whether advertisers pay for labeled placements. Those results will determine whether OpenAI's second commerce attempt gains traction.