This Week In Small Business Technology News: California Regulates AI, ChatGPT Adds E-Commerce And Slack Rolls Out An AI “Teammate”
Here are five things in small business technology news that happened this week and how they affect your small business. Did you miss them?
(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
This Week in Small Business Technology News
Small Business Technology News #1 — Gavin Newsom signs the first-in-nation AI safety law.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a landmark bill — SB 53 (Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act) — aimed at regulating artificial intelligence in California. The law requires companies developing advanced AI systems to publicly disclose their safety and security protocols and report potential risks to the state. Companies must also report any incidents of cyberattacks without human oversight with whistleblower protections in place for AI workers. Senator Scott Weiner of California — who authored the bill — proposed an earlier version (SB 1047) that was vetoed by Newsom last year. His determination paid off with this updated version of the bill. “With a technology as transformative as AI, we have a responsibility to support that innovation while putting in place commonsense guardrails to understand and reduce risk,” Weiner said. (Source: Politico)
Why this is important for your small business:
All of this sounds great in theory. But report to exactly who at the state? I’m not sure I have much confidence in state regulators even understanding the latest developments in AI technology, when even the leaders at our AI companies don’t fully understand them either. Will this be better for business? Will this protect human civilization? Or will this bill just add more bureaucracy and regulatory oversight to an industry that is driving growth in this country.
Small Business Technology News #2 — OpenAI rolls out purchases directly from ChatGPT, in a radical shift to e-commerce and a direct challenge to Google.
OpenAI has introduced a major e-commerce feature allowing users to make purchases directly through ChatGPT via Instant Checkout. Users can browse and buy products within ChatGPT, skipping traditional search engines. Questions about specific products can be directed to the chatbot — e.g., the best hiking boots under $150 — and the chatbot will respond with suggestions. When a specific product is liked Instant Checkout is enabled with a “Buy” button This marks a bold shift into online shopping and positions ChatGPT as a direct competitor to Google in product search and discovery. This move challenges Google’s dominance in product search and advertising. It also signals OpenAI’s ambition to monetize ChatGPT beyond subscriptions and enterprise tools. (Source: Fortune)
Why this is important for your small business:
On the one hand this is great news for e-commerce companies looking for an alternative to Google for promoting and selling their products. On the other hand it means these companies will — in addition to Google — need to understand ChatGPT’s algorithms in order to figure out just how to get noticed by the chatbot.
Small Business Technology News #3 — Slack launches an AI “teammate” for instant answers.
Slack has launched “Channel Expert,” an always-on AI teammate designed to streamline team communication and boost productivity — especially for small businesses. Powered by Agentforce, Channel Expert answers FAQs, surfaces relevant info, and escalates complex queries to humans. It pulls context-aware answers from conversations, PDFs, and integrated apps. Salesforce teams who have used Channel Expert report fewer bottlenecks and reduced help desk ticket volume. (Source: Small Business Trends)
Why this is important for your small business:
For small business owners, the company says that its Channel Expert reduces time spent answering repetitive inquiries and provides precise support from the context-aware data. Sales teams benefit from faster access to important information such as pricing sheets and product descriptions accelerating their response time. Slack positions Channel Expert as a transformative tool for small teams seeking smarter workflows without heavy tech investment.
Small Business Technology News #4 — Google launches new small business resource hub.
Google has unveiled a centralized hub to help small businesses easily access its suite of tools for setup, advertising, analytics, and support. Included are direct links to the Business Profile, Merchant Center, Google Ads, YouTube Ads, and Google Analytics; AI-powered features from Google Workspace; beginner training and help resources all in one place. This hub simplifies navigation within the Google ecosystem. Agencies and consultants can onboard clients faster with a single URL. The hub’s long-term value depends on Google keeping it updated with new features, partner offers, and guides. It could become a go-to resource for small teams and marketers. (Source: Search Engine Journal)
Why this is important for your small business:
We’re already signed up. I’ve learned that even small businesses can get noticed on Google if the focus is local. Which is why business profile, YouTube and localized Ads are so important. I’ve also learned that none of this is rocket science. But it costs. It requires almost a full-time person to learn and adapt as these tools change. I’ve had better success hiring someone internal to learn these things rather than rely on a marketing firm.
Small Business Technology News #5 — Squarespace rolls out new AI tools for SEO and design.
Squarespace has launched a suite of AI-powered features aimed at helping users optimize their websites and boost their visibility on the web. Highlights include the Beacon AI feature that lets users create product listings, set up marketing, and provides recommendations to improve the business model. Other AI tools include an SEO Scanner that automatically generates keyword-rich titles and descriptions to improve search rankings. An AI Site Scanner will search for any broken links and offer recommendations to improve site performance and visitor experience. Finish Layer is the “design focused” set of tools that allows users to add cutting-edge features. (Source: PYMTS)
Why this is important for your small business:
Squarespace is a powerful website building tool that small business owners can use with little background and education. It operates in a competitive space and some feel that it could be more affordable. But the clients I know that use this platform all say it’s excellent and worth a good look.
Each week I round up five small business technology news stories and explain why they’re important for your business. If you have any interesting stories, please post to my X account @genemarks
