(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 — OpenAI issues a warning.
OpenAI’s newest model — o1 –was rated a “medium” risk by the company due to concerns about its potential misuse in areas like biological threats such as chemical weapons. Despite not enabling bad actors to create threats, it could help experts accelerate harmful research. The model shows advanced reasoning and manipulation skills, raising concerns about safety. To address these risks, experts are urging for AI safety regulations, such as California’s AI Bill. (Source: AI Tool Report)
Why this is important for your business:
AI — like so many other things in life — is all about risk and reward. We see all the benefits this technology can provide to us in both our personal and professional lives. But we’re also aware of the risks, from misinformation and deepfakes to security and control challenges as the technology becomes smarter. The greater problem for society is that the risk/reward decision is already being made for us by big tech, and there’s little governments can do to stop them.
2 — NVIDIA, Salesforce announce strategic AI collaboration: what to know.
NVIDIA and Salesforce have announced a strategic collaboration to enhance AI capabilities for businesses. This partnership will combine NVIDIA’s AI platform with Salesforce’s platform to optimize predictive and generative AI workflows. The aim is to improve productivity through AI agents, including human-like avatar interactions using NVIDIA ACE and Agentforce technologies. Meanwhile, Salesforce is making a significant push to train users on AI through its Trailhead platform. The $50 million initiative will offer free AI courses and credentials. “AI for All” — the program designed to boost skills in AI — will also focus on democratizing access to AI education. Training is available through the end of 2025. (Source: Benzinga; CIO Dive)
Why this is important for your business:
Marc Benioff has publicly shown his disappointment with Microsoft’s AI offerings and Salesforce’s own AI features have been met with lukewarm response. So now the company is doubling down. These investments will speed up the implementation and use of AI for its customers. I don’t see any other CRM company making these kinds of investments, and I believe they will pay off significantly for Salesforce.
3 — Intuit Introduces Intuit Enterprise Suite to help businesses grow, streamline operations, and scale.
Intuit has launched the Intuit Enterprise Suite (IES)– an all-in-one solution tailored for mid-market businesses. It integrates financial management, payroll, marketing, project management, and AI-powered insights to enhance productivity and profitability. The suite aims to streamline operations, reduce manual tasks, and provide real-time business intelligence. (Source: Business Wire)
Why this is important for your business:
No longer just a small business player, this new product line is Intuit’s play to go after mid-sized companies and enterprises by addressing that age-old problem that has challenged so many companies: why can’t we just have one system that does it all? This update comes as a response to their 2024 Business Solutions Survey which found most businesses are looking for “better integration capabilities and more automation” with their applications. The company will provide a migration path for its current QuickBooks users and will be focusing on the construction and service industries out of the gate. If you feel like you’re outgrowing QuickBooks, it’s a serious consideration.
4 — Slack’s new AI-powered assistant aims to streamline your busy work week.
Slack has introduced a new AI-powered assistant called Agentforce designed to streamline workflow management and simplify a busy work week. Scheduled for release next month, the assistant can answer questions, provide status updates, recommend next steps, draft emails, and more. The company has also added AI-enhanced tools: Huddle Notes summarizes real-time audio and messages from huddle threads; Workflow Builder allows users to create workflows tasks; and Enhanced Search retrieves information from multiple places (Google files, Slack canvases, video transcripts, etc.) (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
Salesforce owns Slack so look for the company to also leverage NVIDIA platforms as well.
5 — Copilot Pages is Microsoft’s new collaborative AI playground for businesses.
Aiming to make AI a central part of daily workflows, Microsoft has announced new features for its AI Copilot assistant. Copilot Pages is designed for a “multiplayer AI collaboration,” according to Microsoft. Copilot Pages are shared with a link giving collaborators the ability to edit and add content. Project plans and meeting notes can also be done in BizChat — a Copilot work hub. “This is an entirely new work pattern — multiplayer, human to AI to human collaboration,” said Jared Spataro — Corporate Vice President at Microsoft. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
My advice to use this the right way: get consulting and training. The software giant also promises a faster Copilot in Office. We’ll see…
