OpenAI announced Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, 2026. The company framed the launch around ChatGPT’s reach, saying 1.2 billion people use the product each week.
Business Hub is the administrative area for Businesses in ChatGPT. OpenAI says eligible businesses can claim an existing profile or, when supported, add a business where ChatGPT is available. After approval, the business can manage profile details such as its website, description, product or service category, logo, delivery policy, and return policy.
Retailers can connect product feeds, including Shopify feeds, to share product details, prices, and availability. OpenAI’s product materials say Shopify merchants can connect through Business Hub or the Shopify admin, while non-Shopify retailers can use supported product feeds.
Business Hub also adds insights. OpenAI says profiles can show aggregate data such as mentions, website clicks, and discovery topics, which are grouped themes from ChatGPT answers where a business appears or is cited. The company says businesses do not receive individual prompts, consumer conversations, or chats with Business Agents.
How verified profiles work
OpenAI separates a business claim from a verified badge. Claim verification can use methods such as business phone, business email, website-domain DNS, or Shopify, depending on the options shown. After claim approval, Persona identity verification is required before the business can publish changes, connect a product feed, view insights, or create an eligible Business Agent.
The blue check appears only after Persona verification is approved, according to OpenAI’s Help Center. OpenAI says a business may need a government-issued ID, business registration information, and proof that the person completing verification is authorized to represent the business.
If a business uses Persona to create a new profile, OpenAI publishes the profile automatically after approval. Publishing a Business Agent is a separate, optional step, and running ads is separate again.
What claiming does not control
OpenAI’s documentation says a claimed profile lets a business manage information it provides, but it does not guarantee increased visibility, sales, direct control over ChatGPT’s independent recommendations, or product recommendations from a connected feed.
OpenAI’s Help Center also says updates are reviewed, can take time to appear, and may not appear in every listing or generated answer because ChatGPT may use other sources. Its terms say OpenAI may create, maintain, and display a business listing even if the business has not claimed or continues to manage it. The terms also say claiming or managing a listing does not give exclusive control over its contents, and OpenAI may supplement, edit, replace, or decline submitted information.
That turns the verified profile into an official input, not a lock on ChatGPT’s answer.
Business Agents and ads are separate pieces
Business Agents are narrower than the profile system. OpenAI says they are currently available to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States with a website, and the business must meet industry requirements in the Business Agents Policy. The policy also says business verification alone does not guarantee agent eligibility.
When available, a Business Agent can answer questions using information a business provides, after the business reviews and publishes it. OpenAI says the agent conversation is clearly labeled, separate from the user’s original ChatGPT conversation, and distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answers.
The agent is not a full transaction layer yet. OpenAI’s Help Center says the current experience lets an agent explain products and policies and link to a website, where purchases, bookings, and order checks happen. The Business Agents Policy also requires the agent to be clear that it is AI representing the business, not a human, independent adviser, or OpenAI endorsement.
Ads are separate again. OpenAI says sponsored placements are labeled and separate from ChatGPT responses, and its Ads Help Center says Sponsored Business Agents are rolling out to eligible advertisers in Ads Manager over the coming weeks.
What this means for Canadian businesses
For Tech Help Canada readers, availability is the key caveat. OpenAI does not describe Business Hub profile claiming as U.S.-only, but it says availability depends on business location, business type, and whether required verification is supported. It also says Business Agents are currently for eligible U.S. ecommerce and online service businesses with a website.
OpenAI’s Help Center adds another limit for local businesses: if a business cannot be found, eligible online businesses may see an option to add it, while local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing U.S. listing. That makes Business Hub worth watching for Canadian businesses, but not yet a broad local-listings replacement for every category in Canada.
The launch fits the broader movement covered in Tech Help Canada’s guide to how AI is changing search: more discovery is happening through conversational answers, comparisons, and summaries before a customer reaches a website.
What businesses should prepare
Businesses that can access Business Hub should treat setup as both a listing task and a documentation task. OpenAI’s policy requires profile information to truthfully represent the business and stay current, including the name, category, address or service area, hours, contact details, and products or services offered.
Official business records that match the business name, address, registration, tax, or domain information used for verification.
Current website copy, product or service descriptions, delivery and return policies, logos, and images the business has rights to use.
Product feed data for retailers, with prices, availability, product links, and images kept current.
Agent instructions that avoid invented prices, availability, reviews, credentials, guarantees, or results.
A plan for access management, since the admin who claimed the profile can add teammates or grant agency access through Business Hub.
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