Daily tech headlines curated for your business
OpenAI cut the price of its GPT-5.6 Luna model by 80% and its mid-tier Terra model by 20%, starting July 30. If your business pays for AI-powered tools — for writing, customer service, scheduling, or admin tasks — those tools now cost less to run. Email your software vendors this week and ask whether they're passing the savings on. The race between AI companies is pushing prices down fast, and you shouldn't be the last to benefit.
London-based Inforcer raised $50 million to build better software for the IT providers — called MSPs, or managed service providers — that most small businesses hire instead of keeping tech staff in-house. Better MSP tools mean your outsourced IT company can protect you faster and more thoroughly against today's AI-era threats. If you haven't reviewed what your current IT provider is doing to protect you, now is a good time to ask.
Trello rolled out seven new AI features for every paid subscriber — Standard, Premium, and Enterprise plans — including smart card suggestions, automatic due-date detection from card titles, and board summaries. If your team already uses Trello to track projects, these additions could save 2-3 hours a week of manual list-keeping. Log in to your Trello dashboard this week to find the new AI options waiting for you.
Genius AI, built for plumbers, cleaners, salons, and similar local service businesses, raised $44 million to expand its platform that handles scheduling, invoicing, and customer follow-up automatically. If you run a home services or personal services business with 2-20 employees, this means less time chasing paperwork and more time on the job — owners report saving 5+ hours a week. The company is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners and Lux Capital.
Constant Contact unveiled a real estate-specific version of its marketing platform at Inman Connect, built for brokerages, franchises, associations, and MLSs to support agents at scale. It includes AI-assisted email writing, multi-account tools, and automation so agents stay in touch with leads without manual follow-up. If you run a brokerage or manage marketing for multiple agents, this replaces the patchwork of separate tools most firms rely on today.
New data from Clockwork.ai, based on analysis of more than 3,000 U.S. small and medium businesses, found that 20% are on track to run short on cash within 90 days — and most owners don't see it coming. If you don't have a 90-day cash forecast right now, build one this week using QuickBooks, your accountant, or a dedicated cash flow tool like Clockwork.ai. Catching a shortfall 60 days early gives you time to act; catching it at zero does not.
Russian state-linked hackers are actively using a maximum-severity hole in Microsoft Exchange Server — the system behind Outlook business email — to steal passwords and plant backdoors, security firm Proofpoint reported July 30. If your business uses Microsoft 365 email or any on-site Exchange server, call your IT provider today and ask them to confirm your software is fully patched. Attacks are live right now, not theoretical.
Intuit has connected QuickBooks to Claude and ChatGPT, so you can check invoices, run payroll tasks, and review sales without leaving your AI chat window. Ask questions like "What's my outstanding balance?" or "Send an invoice to my last client" and QuickBooks handles it. This is the closest thing to having a bookkeeper on call 24/7. Link your account through QuickBooks' integration settings — it takes about five minutes.
Police in Dillon, Montana are warning small businesses after multiple unauthorized withdrawals drained money from QuickBooks-connected bank accounts in just three days — totaling more than $20,000 in losses. Fraudsters appear to be targeting QuickBooks Payments and linked bank integrations. Log into your QuickBooks account right now, check for any unrecognized transactions, turn on two-factor authentication (a second login code sent to your phone), and review which third-party apps have access.
Squarespace users say they're now paying for AI features they never asked for after another round of price increases in 2026. Website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify have all shifted away from simple flat fees, bundling pricier AI tools into every plan whether you use them or not. If your website bill went up this year, take 30 minutes to compare what you're actually using — a simpler plan or a competing builder might save you $200 or more a year.
Constant Contact just launched a real estate-specific marketing platform that lets brokerages run email campaigns, follow-up automations, and AI tools for all their agents from one account. Individual agents get branded templates and lead-nurturing sequences without needing separate subscriptions. If you run a real estate office or team, this could replace the scattered mix of individual email tools your agents are paying for today. The product was announced at Inman Connect on July 29.
Vendasta has launched two AI tools — an AI Social Media Manager and an AI Blogger — that write and post content to your social accounts and website automatically, without you drafting a word. More than 500 small businesses activated these tools within 24 hours of launch. As Google search shifts to AI-generated answers, staying active online with regular posts matters more than ever for visibility. The tools are sold through digital marketing agencies, so ask your current agency if they offer Vendasta, or search for a Vendasta partner in your area.
CallRail's Voice Assist — an AI that answers your business calls, captures leads, and sends follow-up texts with context from the conversation — is now open to any business, not just existing CallRail customers. Your team sees the full call and text history in one shared inbox, so no lead goes cold. For a contractor or service business that misses calls while on the job, this acts like a 24/7 receptionist at a fraction of the cost of hiring one.
Intuit just plugged QuickBooks directly into Claude and ChatGPT, so you can ask either AI tool to pull invoices, run payroll checks, or see your cash flow — without switching apps. The update also adds lending features so you can apply for short-term financing from inside your AI assistant. If your team already chats with AI every day, this could cut 2–3 hours a week of bookkeeping back-and-forth. Try asking Claude or ChatGPT to show your overdue invoices today.
A new guide from insurance platform Insureon details exactly how construction contractors are using AI right now: writing bids and proposals, scheduling crews, flagging cost overruns early, and following up with leads on autopilot. Most of the tools are ones you may already have — ChatGPT, Google Workspace, or a project management app with built-in AI. Contractors using these approaches report saving 5 or more hours a week on admin. The guide names specific tools and the exact tasks they handle.
Puzzle launched an AI accounting suite that firms are already using to close every client's books by the 4th business day of the month — and one firm is on track to serve 3× its current client load with the same staff. If you run or work with an accounting firm, faster closes mean you get your numbers sooner and can make better decisions. Ask your accountant whether they're using AI-close tools, or look up Puzzle's AI Suite if you handle your own books.
CallRail has opened its Voice Assist to any business — you no longer need its full call-tracking platform to use it. The AI answers calls, texts customers back with context from the conversation, and logs everything in one shared history so no lead falls through the cracks. If you or your staff miss calls after hours, this can capture customers you'd otherwise lose. Pricing is now available as a standalone product, making it easier to try without a big commitment.
Security firm Kaspersky found more than 33,000 attacks on small and medium businesses in the first four months of 2026 using malware (harmful software) disguised as popular AI tools — nearly five times more than the same period in 2025. The scam works by offering a fake 'free version' of a well-known AI app that, once installed, hands attackers access to your computer and data. Only download AI tools from official websites or verified app stores, and never from a pop-up ad or link someone sends you out of the blue.
Yelp Host voice AI now connects to OpenTable (the restaurant reservation platform), so customers can call your restaurant and book, change, or cancel a table by phone with zero staff time required. The same system now takes pickup orders by phone, enters them directly into your POS (point-of-sale) system, and handles payment. If your staff spends 30+ minutes a day on reservation and order calls, this frees up that time and catches after-hours business you're currently losing.
Hackers are breaking into hotel and airport Wi-Fi routers and silently redirecting your employees to fake login pages that grab Microsoft 365 usernames and passwords — without any warning signs. Your team thinks they're connected normally. If anyone on your staff uses public Wi-Fi while traveling, tell them to always turn on a VPN (a private, encrypted internet tunnel) before opening email or any business app. Using your phone's cellular hotspot is even safer and costs nothing extra.
