OpenAI is introducing verified Business Agents that represent companies and answer questions about their products or services inside ChatGPT. The feature matters if you use ChatGPT for product research or handle customer inquiries for a business. It is initially launching in beta for eligible e-commerce and online service companies in the United States, with no confirmed availability for Switzerland.
From business profile to Business Agent
A Business Agent is an AI agent, meaning an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system designed to perform a defined task, that speaks to customers on behalf of a company. According to the initial report on the new Business Agents, you may encounter one when a participating company appears in a ChatGPT response. You can then move into a separate, clearly labeled conversation with that company’s agent.
Inside this conversation, you can ask about the company’s offerings and continue with follow-up questions. One practical example is comparing two products from the same business: you could ask about differences in features, price, or availability when the company has supplied that information. The agent responds according to instructions and business context provided by the company it represents.
Companies manage these functions through Business Hub, an area for business profiles, verification, and usage data. According to THE DECODER’s summary of the launch, companies can also add product feeds. A product feed is a structured list that sends details such as prices and availability from an online store to another platform.
OpenAI describes the service more briefly as a way to manage business information, understand how a company appears, and turn interest into action inside ChatGPT. This official description of Businesses in ChatGPT indicates the broader direction: ChatGPT is meant to become not only an answer service, but also an interface connecting businesses with potential customers.
More guidance during product search
For you, the agent could shorten part of the research process. Instead of opening several product pages, you can first request an explanation of the differences, ask follow-up questions, and then continue to the provider’s website. The experience resembles a conversation with a sales representative, but it takes place inside ChatGPT and relies on information controlled by the business.
Business Hub also gives companies limited analytics. According to TechCrunch’s assessment of the business profiles, these metrics include profile views, company mentions, website clicks, and other measurements. OpenAI also refers to discovery topics that show where a business appears in ChatGPT. An online retailer might therefore learn that its products frequently surface during comparisons in a particular category.
For companies, this partly resembles the business profiles and analytics products already offered by search engines. The main difference is the conversational format: rather than receiving only a list of results, you can refine an answer step by step. However, the Business Agent’s information comes from the provider it represents. It is not an independent comparison, especially when the discussion involves competing products or drawbacks in the company’s own offering.
OpenAI says, according to THE DECODER, that user conversations are not shared with companies. This is a provider claim and has not been independently verified in the supplied sources. Companies will still receive aggregated measures of visibility and interaction. The sources do not explain exactly which details are collected or how long they are retained.
Pros and Cons of Business Agents
Pros:
- Direct follow-up questions – You can explore a product comparison without starting a separate search for every detail.
- Verified identity – The business profile is intended to show that an agent genuinely represents a particular company.
- Fresher business data – Companies can maintain their own information and product feeds containing prices and availability.
- Separate conversation – The company chat is supposed to be clearly labeled and kept apart from your regular ChatGPT conversation.
Cons:
- Commercial self-interest – The agent represents a brand and does not provide independent shopping advice.
- Opaque verification – OpenAI mentions different verification methods for different companies and markets but does not disclose the procedures.
- Limited launch – Business Agents are initially intended only for eligible US businesses in selected sectors.
- Unanswered cost question – The sources provide no pricing for companies or possible conditions affecting customer access.
Platform restrictions limit the search
An agent is only as useful as the information it is allowed to access. eBay provides a practical example: The Verge reproduced cases in which Meta’s Muse agent could no longer retrieve eBay listings and links for certain searches. Before the apparent restriction, one user had employed Muse to create a daily digest of watches, including prices, shipping details, and notes about condition or style.
eBay did not directly confirm whether it had introduced broad new restrictions. A spokesperson did say that the marketplace limits agent access in certain cases, including unauthorized automated data collection and training on eBay data. Its user agreement also bans tools such as autonomous buy-for-me agents and bots driven by large language models when they place orders without human review. A large language model is an AI system that processes and generates language.
The conflict reflects two competing interests. External agents want to search as many offers as possible and make them comparable; marketplaces want to retain control over their data, customer relationships, and purchasing process. According to The Verge, Amazon blocks external agents from browsing or shopping entirely, while Target permits them in some cases and blocks them in others. Shopify is taking a more open approach and, according to THE DECODER, can connect directly to the new ChatGPT service.
For you, this means an apparently comprehensive AI search may omit major parts of the market. If an agent cannot obtain data from eBay or another platform, its suggestions are not necessarily wrong, but they are incomplete. The problem becomes more serious when the response does not clearly disclose that gap. A convenient overview may then look more objective than it really is.
What this means for you and Switzerland
If you are a beginner, a sensible first step is to run a limited comparison inside a verified company chat. You can compare two specific products and then confirm the price, availability, and main features on the company’s website. Pay attention to the Business Agent label and check whether you are still in your regular ChatGPT conversation or have entered the separate company chat.
If you already use ChatGPT extensively, you can ask the agent specifically about differences, limitations, and missing information. Compare its response with other providers and examine which marketplaces may not have been included. In a professional setting, this could help you prepare an initial purchasing overview without making the agent your sole basis for a decision.
Companies can use Business Hub to monitor visibility, update business information, and establish a specialized customer contact channel. Shopify merchants are expected to be able to connect their stores directly, while other companies will require eligibility and verification. The sources do not provide pricing, review times, or detailed participation requirements. Business Agents may also serve as destinations for ChatGPT advertising, making a clear distinction between information and commercial messaging particularly relevant.
The situation in Switzerland remains unresolved. The announced launch is aimed at eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the United States, while OpenAI only refers to later expansion into additional markets and industries. The sources give no launch date for Switzerland and no details about supported national languages or country-specific data protection arrangements. Swiss companies can therefore follow the model’s development but cannot yet plan reliably around a local rollout.
Business Agents could make product discovery and customer contact easier to navigate by bringing company information and follow-up questions into one conversation. At the same time, product search moves into an environment where OpenAI and participating businesses influence which data becomes visible. The main unresolved risk is not simply one incorrect answer, but a persuasive comparison containing hidden gaps caused by commercial interests, missing providers, or blocked platforms.
Sources
- ChatGPT is getting verified AI ‘Business Agents’ – The Verge, 2026-11-10
- Businesses in ChatGPT: OpenAI macht ChatGPT zur Unternehmensplattform mit KI-Agenten für den Kundenkontakt – THE DECODER, 2026-11-10
- OpenAI rolls out new business profiles, making ChatGPT just a little bit more like Google – TechCrunch, 2026-11-10
- Introducing Businesses in ChatGPT – OpenAI, 2026-11-10
- eBay appears to have shut the door on third-party AI agents – The Verge, 2026-11-10
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