OpenAI has unveiled Presence, a new enterprise solution designed to deploy and manage AI agents handling customer-facing and internal business tasks efficiently. This platform supports eligible enterprises by enabling AI agents to answer questions, access internal systems, execute approved actions, and escalate issues to human workers, all while adhering to company-specific policies and security controls. Presence is available now through a limited general availability program, with deployment led by OpenAI Forward Deployed Engineers and selected systems integrators rather than via self-service.
Presence leverages OpenAI’s core models but also allows integration with third-party AI models and services to build robust guardrails and workflow tools. Pricing details and deployment costs remain undisclosed. The platform aims to make AI agent deployment reliable and adaptable as business environments evolve, simplifying integration by handling workflows, permissions, policy enforcement, and continuous improvement processes.
The product currently supports voice and chat real-time interactions, with plans to extend functionality to other channels such as email. Presence integrates company procedures, evaluation tools, and escalation protocols to ensure AI agents operate within predefined bounds. It also offers simulation and evaluation features to test agents against various scenarios, ensuring compliance and performance before going live.
OpenAI reports that Presence powers its English-language phone support, resolving 75% of inbound inquiries without human intervention, improving over time via a Codex-driven feedback loop. Several major organizations, including BBVA, SoftBank, and IAG, are exploring Presence for customer service automation.
This platform represents a shift toward a high-touch service model where Forward Deployed Engineers collaborate with customers to customize workflows and policies. Unlike typical API offerings, Presence provides an integrated governance framework and continuous oversight to manage AI behavior and deployment risks.
The launch coincides with recent security concerns about model governance, highlighting the critical need for controlled environments in enterprise AI deployments. While Presence offers a promising solution for reliable AI agent integration, full pricing and operational details are still pending.
In essence, Presence targets enterprises needing hands-on support to scale AI agents safely and effectively in complex business settings, combining technology with professional services for production-ready AI solutions.
