Big Tech Updates Affecting Your Small Business Now

This week brought five significant developments in technology that could directly impact your small business. From new regulations in artificial intelligence to powerful new e-commerce and productivity tools, here’s a roundup of what you might have missed and why it matters.

California Enacts First-of-its-Kind AI Safety Law

California is taking a lead in AI regulation with Governor Gavin Newsom signing the landmark bill SB 53, also known as the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act. This law mandates that companies developing advanced AI systems must publicly disclose their safety and security measures and report potential risks to the state. It also requires reporting on any cyberattacks that occur without human oversight and includes whistleblower protections for AI workers.

For small businesses, this development is a double-edged sword. While the goal of commonsense guardrails is laudable, there are questions about its practical implementation. Will state regulators have the expertise to oversee this complex technology effectively? The concern is that this bill could add bureaucratic hurdles to a rapidly growing industry, rather than providing meaningful protection or fostering a better business environment.

ChatGPT Steps into E-Commerce with Direct Purchasing

OpenAI is making a bold move into e-commerce by allowing users to make purchases directly within ChatGPT through a new feature called Instant Checkout. Users can now ask the chatbot for product recommendations, like “the best hiking boots under $150,” and when they find a product they like, a “Buy” button will enable an immediate purchase. This radically transforms ChatGPT into a direct competitor to Google for product discovery and search.

This is great news for e-commerce businesses seeking alternatives to Google for advertising and sales. However, it also introduces a new challenge: just as companies have had to master Google's algorithms for visibility, they will now need to understand and optimize for ChatGPT’s recommendation engine to ensure their products get noticed by the chatbot.

Slack Introduces an AI Teammate to Boost Productivity

Slack has launched “Channel Expert,” an always-on AI teammate designed to streamline communication and improve productivity, especially for small businesses. This tool, powered by Agentforce, can instantly answer frequently asked questions, find relevant information from conversations and documents, and escalate complex issues to a human team member. Teams that have tested Channel Expert report fewer bottlenecks and a lower volume of help desk tickets.

For small business owners, this tool can significantly reduce the time spent on repetitive inquiries. It allows sales teams to quickly access crucial information like pricing sheets and product details, speeding up their response times. Slack is positioning Channel Expert as a transformative tool for small teams looking to implement smarter workflows without a heavy investment in new technology.

Google Launches Centralized Resource Hub for Small Businesses

Google has unveiled a new, centralized hub to help small businesses more easily access its wide range of tools for advertising, analytics, and business management. This hub provides direct links to essential services like Business Profile, Merchant Center, Google Ads, YouTube Ads, and Google Analytics. It also includes AI-powered features from Google Workspace and beginner training resources, all in one place. The goal is to simplify navigation within the complex Google ecosystem.

While this is a helpful step, leveraging these tools still requires a significant commitment. Getting noticed on Google, especially on a local level, is achievable but requires a dedicated effort to learn and manage these platforms. Many small businesses find more success by hiring an internal team member to master these tools rather than relying on an outside marketing firm.

Squarespace Enhances Platform with New AI-Powered Tools

Website builder Squarespace has rolled out a suite of AI-powered features to help users optimize their sites and improve their online visibility. A key addition is Beacon AI, which helps create product listings, set up marketing campaigns, and offers recommendations to improve the business model. Other new AI tools include an SEO Scanner that generates keyword-rich titles and descriptions, and an AI Site Scanner that finds broken links and suggests performance improvements.

Squarespace is already a powerful tool for small business owners with limited technical expertise, and these new features make it even more valuable. While it operates in a competitive market and some find it pricey, many users praise the platform for its excellence and ease of use, making it a strong contender for any small business looking to build a professional online presence.