OpenAI Unveils Presence, a New Platform for Enterprise AI Agents
Companies can now deploy and manage real-time voice and chat agents with Presence.
1What is Presence?
OpenAI's new enterprise product, Presence, allows companies to deploy and manage AI agents across customer-facing and internal workflows. The platform enables agents to operate under company-defined policies, answering questions, accessing systems, and escalating to human workers when needed.
2Solving Enterprise Needs
Presence is designed to help businesses reliably run AI agents in production. It combines policy management, system connections, evaluation tools, and update processes, offering a ready-made solution instead of requiring companies to build their own infrastructure from scratch.
3How It Works
Presence uses OpenAI models at its core but allows integration of third-party models and services via APIs. Each deployment is task-specific, with agents granted only the necessary access. Customers define what actions the agent can take independently and when human intervention is required.
4Testing and Evaluation
Presence enables thorough testing before agents go live. Teams can evaluate performance against common requests, edge cases, and high-risk scenarios. Graders check if the agent achieves intended outcomes, follows policies correctly, and escalates when necessary.
5Real-Time Monitoring
The platform continuously monitors agent performance in production. Sessions, escalations, and quality signals highlight areas needing improvement. The Codex plugin analyzes these signals and suggests updates, ensuring agents remain effective as conditions change.
6OpenAI's Own Use Case
OpenAI uses Presence for its English-language phone support. The system handles open-ended requests, verifies callers, and performs approved actions, resolving 75% of issues without human assistance. This demonstrates the platform's potential for real-world applications.
7Global Partnerships
BBVA is testing voice agents for routine banking in Mexico. SoftBank is trialing natural Japanese conversations, while Australian insurer IAG explores support during peak demand. These collaborations showcase Presence's versatility across industries and languages.
8The Future of AI Agents
Presence marks a significant step in enterprise AI, enabling reliable agents that adapt to policy and process changes. OpenAI's move could accelerate the adoption of AI-powered automation, transforming how businesses interact with customers and manage internal workflows.