Businesses in ChatGPT: OpenAI Launches Business Hub and Agents
· Cortex Solutions
OpenAI launched a Businesses in ChatGPT beta on Nov 10: verified business profiles, mention insights and US-only Business Agents. What it means for Saudi firms.
On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, OpenAI announced a beta of a new service called "Businesses in ChatGPT." The idea is simple: ChatGPT has become a place where people ask about products, stores and services, and OpenAI now wants businesses themselves to have an official presence inside those conversations. This article is based on coverage by The Next Web, published on November 10, 2026, and by FoneArena, published on November 11, 2026.
What exactly was announced?
The service has two main parts: Business Hub and Business Agents. According to both reports, it arrives as OpenAI says ChatGPT reaches about 1.2 billion users every week.
Business Hub: a verified profile and data on your visibility
According to FoneArena, a business can claim its profile in ChatGPT and, after verification, update its key details and add self-service product feeds. A retailer, for example, can share pricing and availability, which ChatGPT may use when answering users' questions. A claimed profile shows a blue checkmark, and the person managing it must own the business or be authorized to represent it.
The hub offers aggregated insights, including:
- How many times the business is mentioned in ChatGPT.
- How many clicks its website receives.
- Common topics across conversations where its website is cited.
The coverage explains that these insights are designed to protect privacy and only appear once enough conversations or interactions meet certain thresholds. The Next Web sums it up as verified companies getting a blue check, being able to update their details, prices and stock, and seeing how often ChatGPT mentions them and how many people click through to their site.
Business Agents: a conversation in the company's name
The second part is a chat agent for the business. When a business appears in a ChatGPT answer, the user can open its profile and start a separate conversation with its agent, which answers product questions, follows guidelines the business configures, and helps customers compare options and take the next step. The sources stress that these conversations are clearly labeled and kept separate from the user's original chat and from ChatGPT's independent answers, and that businesses cannot access users' conversations.
The Next Web adds that agents must disclose they are AI, keep prices accurate and avoid pressure tactics, and that purchases or sharing personal data require the user's explicit approval. For now, buyers are sent to the brand's own website, while OpenAI works with Visa on agent payments.
There is an important limit: Business Agents are currently available only to eligible ecommerce and online-service businesses in the United States. Claiming a profile is initially open to eligible businesses with a website in regions where ChatGPT is available, subject to industry, location and verification conditions. Shopify merchants can also connect their stores directly, according to FoneArena.
Ads and ranking
Businesses can sponsor their agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements clearly separated from regular answers. FoneArena reports that claiming a profile does not guarantee higher placement in ChatGPT answers or more sales, while The Next Web cites Digiday as saying that paying does not change how often ChatGPT recommends a business. Neither source gave any pricing details for claiming a profile.
What's next?
According to FoneArena, OpenAI plans to expand the service and Business Agents to more markets and business categories over time, along with tools for organizations with more complex requirements. No date has been announced for agents outside the United States.
What does this mean for Saudi businesses?
- Search is changing: a growing share of customers ask AI assistants instead of search engines, so clear information on your website (products, prices, branches, opening hours) matters more than ever.
- Prepare your website now: claiming a profile initially requires a website, and accurate, up-to-date information is what ChatGPT may rely on in its answers.
- Don't wait for someone else's agent: agents inside ChatGPT are US-only for now, but today you can run an AI assistant on your website, WhatsApp or phone line that speaks Arabic and knows your products and policies.
- Mind privacy and disclosure: the rules OpenAI set for its agents, such as disclosing that they are AI and asking for explicit approval before a purchase, are good practices for any assistant your company launches.
At Cortex Solutions, we help businesses build AI assistants and automate customer service for the Saudi market. Learn about our services: https://cortex.sa/services/ai-automation