OpenAI has launched a Business Hub for ChatGPT — a beta feature that lets companies create verified profiles, deploy AI agents to answer customer questions, and track how users engage with their brand inside the app. It went live globally on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. No pricing, subscription tiers, or rollout timeline beyond “beta” were disclosed.
No Indian or US launch price was announced, because there isn’t one yet. This is not a paid product. Not yet. It’s infrastructure.
A door being opened. And it’s unmistakably modeled on Google Business Profile: same verification logic, same local SEO reflexes, same ambition to sit between users and commerce before the click even happens. But unlike Google, OpenAI isn’t indexing websites. It’s indexing intent, what people ask, not just what they search.
That changes the stakes. The Business Hub gives companies metrics: profile views, mentions in chats, clicks to their site. Nothing about conversion, nothing about sales. Just attention, measured in prompts, not pageviews.
This is OpenAI’s second swing at monetizing business presence in ChatGPT. The first, a direct e-commerce layer with checkout carts and commission fees, was scrapped in March 2026 after failing to gain traction. This time, there’s no cart. No commission.
Just visibility, control, and data. Verification is mandatory but opaque: VP of Monetization Benji Shomair confirmed multiple methods exist, varying by business type and market, but offered no details. No public checklist. No self-serve portal.
No mention of fees, delays, or appeals. What’s clear is the pivot: from trying to replace Amazon to trying to precede Google. From transaction to discovery. From ‘buy here’ to ‘learn here’.
The timing is pointed. As search traffic fragments across AI interfaces, and as Google tightens its own business profile policies, OpenAI is betting that if people start asking ChatGPT “Where’s the best repair shop in Hyderabad?” or “Does OnePlus ship to Texas?”, then brands will pay to be the answer.
Not today. But soon. The Business Hub is live in beta. No end date.
No waitlist. No sign-up page linked in the announcement. Companies eligible for early access were not named. How to get in?
Unclear. What comes next? A pricing model. A verification dashboard.
And, inevitably, a debate over whether AI-powered discovery should be neutral, or auctionable.
TBFiled by The Tech Business Desk
Big tech, startups, earnings, regulation and policy — the decisions that shape the products.
More from this desk →
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.