(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 – A tech expert says not to expect much from Copilot for Windows (yet).
Preston Gralla of Computerworld gave a run-down of the newly-released Copilot – Microsoft’s “everyday AI companion.” After a trial run, Gralla concluded that Copilot is efficient at completing basic tasks and can search for/retrieve valuable information in minutes. However, he emphasized that “Copilot also doesn’t give Windows any new capabilities.” One example – he asked Copilot to create a new user account on his computer and it returned a series of instructions rather than doing the task on its own. He also listed a few miscellaneous commands – like switching his screen theme or checking for updates – the AI seemed to bungle. It also produced inaccurate guidance with other commands. Gralla’s takeaway is that Copilot is indeed helpful with simplifying existing features – but doesn’t deliver on more complicated tasks. (Source: Computerworld)
Why this is important for your business:
Gralla is right. It’s still very early days for all AI, including Microsoft’s offerings. I’m excited to see how Copilot in Office 365 will improve productivity by creating docs and presentations and even allowing me to attend more than one meeting at a time but let’s not be naïve…there’s still far to go before this stuff is really working accurately and reliably. The big question is whether or not users will pay $30 per month for such a young product.
2 – OpenAI gives ChatGPT the ability to speak in five different voices.
Research company Open AI is making ChatGPT more dynamic. Users can choose from five different computerized voices – each with its own distinct character. For example, “Juniper” (one of the five voices on the ChatGPT app) can dialogue with users about everything from the weather forecast to finding information about a historical figure. For those who are already using the tool, this will inspire them to use the app on the go while enticing new users to test its authenticity. (Source: Bloomberg)
Why this is important for your business:
AI is still generative now but the real advance will be when it becomes AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence, where it is literally acting and doing things like a human. To do this, we’ll need to converse with AI powered devices (i.e. robots) with speech, not text, so this announcement from Open AI comes as little surprise.
3 – Sellers feel impact of new PayPal debit card rule.
Earlier this month PayPal decided to stop allowing back-up bank accounts linked to users’ PayPal Business Debit Mastercard – promoted for its cash back rewards system. This has stirred up PayPal’s customer base with subsequent complaints that have been documented by EcommerceBytes and others. (Source: EcommerceBytes)
Why this is important for your business:
Many feel that this is an inconvenience to those who rely on PayPal for business transactions. “If you used your card as a debit card for regular or business purchases to get cash back, you can no longer do that…that means you have to put money ON the card,” one person wrote. Others said they received no notification about the change while others have voiced they’re leaving the service altogether. It is yet to be seen how much this will impact PayPal’s yearly numbers going forward.
4 – Meta Verified for business will cost $965 less per month than X’s business verification.
Meta just announced its business verification service for $22 bucks a month. The company first tested the service back in March in select locations. Businesses will receive the blue check mark, enhanced security, and access to the Meta Developer Platform. Elon Musk’s X verification system comes with a $1000/month fee. Since Musk’s takeover of Twitter, a series of changes transpired including Twitter Blue (now X Premium) – an $8 dollar per month fee for individuals who request the blue check mark. Increase that several hundred times for businesses who will essentially receive the same benefits on Facebook (and Instagram with a package deal). Those businesses already verified won’t need to go through the process a second time. As for when this will be activated, no specific date has been confirmed by Meta. (Source: Mashable)
Why this is important for your business:
Will you pay that much for your business to be “verified” on Twitter or Facebook? I guess it depends on how valuable those platforms are for you and your community.
5 – Google rolls out automatically created assets to all advertisers.
Automatically Created Assets (ACAs) are now an optional feature for those who use Google Ads. ACAs are “…assets that tend to boost ad performance, making your ads more likely to be clicked” – as Google explains it. (Source: Search Engine Land)
Why this is important for your business:
The tool is programmed to align ads with certain landing pages, with fortified content in the ad such as refined descriptions. There are no added fees for assets (only costs per click). Of course, this is an AI-supported function which requires advertisers to relinquish control over content and where their ad appears. This is an opt-in feature and Google has clarified users can remove assets at any time.
