OpenAI’s Newest Feature Enables Business Owners To Set Up Shop In ChatGPT And Connect With 1.2 Billion Prospective Customers

In today’s column, I examine OpenAI’s new announcement of its “Businesses in ChatGPT” beta, which lets companies showcase their business in ChatGPT, see what AI users are saying about them, and deploy a business-tailored AI agent to interact with prospective and existing customers. It’s a triple threat to other AI makers because this could bring millions of businesses into the OpenAI fold and attract many millions (or billions) more users among the already 1.2 billion weekly ChatGPT users.

This is especially a boon for companies with little existing online presence or those that haven’t yet dipped their toes into using AI to reach and support customers. OpenAI is wisely rolling this out gradually, and we won’t know for sure how popular it will ultimately be, but it’s an emboldening start. Meanwhile, you can expect competing AI makers to pursue a similar strategy. Be ready for an all-out war among popular LLMs as they battle to attract businesses to their respective AI chatbots. Competition to get businesses into AI is bound to benefit all parties and could be a huge uplift for AI-based e-commerce.

Let’s talk about it. This analysis of AI breakthroughs is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage of the latest in AI, including identifying and explaining key AI complexities (see the link here).

The Foundation

There are three main elements to the “Businesses in ChatGPT” capability:

• (1) ChatGPT Business Hub. Establish your business presence in a ChatGPT business hub, akin to setting up an online store and listing it in a business directory.
• (2) ChatGPT Business Chats. Be able to selectively inspect anonymized ChatGPT chats that mention your business.
• (3) ChatGPT Business AI Agent. Devise a ChatGPT AI agent that you tailor to your business and that interacts with prospective and existing customers.