Daily tech headlines curated for your business
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work, an AI agent (a tool that takes action on your behalf) built into every ChatGPT plan — including free accounts. It can draft emails, update spreadsheets, pull files from Google Drive, and work inside Slack without you clicking through apps one by one. For a 10-person business, this means handing off tasks like summarizing meeting notes, building client reports, or organizing files — and getting finished work back, not just suggestions. Open ChatGPT this week and look for the Work tab to try it.
California Governor Newsom signed SB122 on June 29, adding state sales tax (roughly 7–10%) to SaaS (software-as-a-service) subscriptions and digital products starting January 2027. If your business pays for tools like accounting software, project management apps, or CRM systems and you operate in California, your monthly software bills will go up. Talk to your accountant now and audit every software subscription before year-end so you can build the increase into your 2027 budget.
Australia's Cyber Security Centre issued a global alert this week: attackers are actively scanning for websites running outdated content management software (like WordPress or Joomla) and plugins, then installing hidden backdoors. Thousands of small-business websites have already been compromised worldwide. Log into your website host today and update every plugin and theme — or forward this to whoever manages your site. If it has not been updated in the last 90 days, treat it as urgent.
Cybercriminals are now using AI to write convincing fake emails from 'Interpol' or government agencies, then pressuring staff to click links or wire money fast. Separately, Microsoft reported this week that AI is making cyberattacks faster and harder to spot — and small businesses are the most common target because they usually lack a security team. Three things to do right now: train every employee to call back any wire transfer request by phone before sending, turn on multi-factor authentication (a second login step) on all banking and email accounts, and report suspicious emails to your IT contact before opening attachments.
WooCommerce — the free shopping plugin powering millions of small online stores — just launched a hosted cloud plan that manages setup and maintenance for you, similar to how Shopify works out of the box. If you have been paying a developer to keep your WooCommerce site running or fighting with your own hosting, this option removes that headache entirely. Visit WooCommerce.com to check pricing and availability in your region.
Business finance platform Ramp launched 'Ramp for Agents,' which connects with doola's incorporation service so an AI agent handles the whole startup process: filing your business with the state, applying for a Ramp corporate card, and organizing your finance stack — all from a single typed request. For solo founders or small-business owners tired of juggling multiple platforms to get started, this cuts what used to take several days down to one prompt. Available now at ramp.com.
Starting July 9, Google added a 'How this ad was made' label to ads on Search, YouTube, and Discover that flags when AI tools helped create the creative. If you run Google Ads, your customers can now see this information. You do not need to stop using AI to make ads — but you should start keeping a record of which tools you used, since advertisers may eventually need to disclose this formally. Check your active campaigns in Google Ads Manager and note where AI-generated images or copy are in use.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work on July 9, a new mode inside ChatGPT that connects to your apps, files, and websites and completes multi-step tasks on its own — staying on a project for hours if needed. For a small business owner, that means you can hand it a recurring report, a client proposal draft, or a research task and come back to a finished result. It comes bundled with ChatGPT Plus and Team plans and works across desktop and mobile.
A new Thryv survey found AI use among U.S. small businesses jumped from 55% to 66% in one year, and a third of owners are now spending more on AI tools. The catch: 70% say they need more training to use it well. If that sounds familiar, pick one specific task — writing follow-up emails, answering customer questions, or drafting estimates — and test one free AI tool on it this week. Small, focused use builds confidence faster than broad adoption.
California Governor Newsom signed SB122 into law on June 29, adding state sales tax to SaaS (software you pay a subscription to access online), downloaded software, and most digital products — effective January 2027. If your business is in California or serves California customers, expect new tax line items on tools like QuickBooks, Slack, Adobe, and others. Now is the time to audit your software subscriptions and budget for the increase before it hits.
Clockwork.ai launched Mira, an AI analyst built for small and mid-sized businesses that reads your QuickBooks or Xero data and produces forecasts, cash flow scenarios, and financial insights. You can ask questions like 'Can I afford to hire someone in Q3?' and get a real data-backed answer — the kind of analysis most owners only get if they pay for a fractional CFO. Mira is designed for businesses without a dedicated finance team.
Creativeguru launched Frame, a phone app that lets contractors, plumbers, landscapers, painters, and other tradespeople photograph finished work and automatically turn those photos into ready-to-post social media content. Your completed projects are your best marketing, but most tradespeople never have time to post them. Frame handles the caption writing and formatting so you can share proof-of-work content in under two minutes per job.
A hacker group called Pink is calling employees by phone, pretending to be IT support, and convincing them to approve a fake Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD) passkey setup request — which hands attackers full control of a Microsoft 365 account. Once in, they extort the business. If your team uses Microsoft 365, set one rule today: your IT team will never call and ask you to approve a security prompt you didn't start yourself. Decline it and call your IT contact back directly.
ActiveCampaign launched a Google Ads connector that lets you build and launch Performance Max campaigns (Google's automated ad format that shows across Search, YouTube, and Maps) directly inside ActiveCampaign using your existing contacts. That means your email list and your paid ads now share the same data and targeting — without switching between platforms. Small marketing teams can run coordinated email and ad campaigns from one place.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work, an agent that connects to your apps, files, calendar, and desktop and handles long tasks on its own — for hours at a time if needed. At the same time, OpenAI released its GPT-5.6 model family: Sol (flagship), Terra (mid-range), and Luna (budget). For a small business owner, this means you can hand off a research task, a draft proposal, or a data pull before you head to a job site and come back to finished work. ChatGPT Business subscribers get access now.
ActiveCampaign launched a Google Ads connector that lets you create and run Performance Max campaigns (Google's smart ad format that runs across Search, YouTube, and Maps) directly inside ActiveCampaign using plain-language prompts. Your email subscriber data and ad targeting now share the same information — no more managing them in separate platforms. If you already use ActiveCampaign for email marketing, this can save several hours a week and help your ads reach the right people.
Clockwork.ai launched Mira, an AI analyst that connects directly to QuickBooks or Xero and runs forecasts, spots cash flow gaps, and models financial scenarios on its own. More than 3,000 small businesses are already on the Clockwork platform. If you've ever wished you had a numbers person reviewing your books every day, Mira does that job — without the six-figure salary. It can also send you plain-English alerts when something looks off.
Security researchers flagged two attacks hitting small businesses this week. The first: a crew called Pink calls your employees, pretends to be IT support, and tricks them into setting up a fake Microsoft 365 passkey — then locks you out of your own accounts. The second: phishing emails pretending to be from Interpol's cybercrime unit tell recipients they're under investigation, then install ransomware. The fix for both is the same: never change security settings or click links based on an unsolicited call or email, no matter who they claim to be.
OpenAI's agent billing for ChatGPT Business went live this week, meaning your monthly cost now depends on how much work the AI actually does, not just a flat fee. Before you let ChatGPT Work run long or overnight tasks, go to Settings and set a spending cap — one big automated project can cost more than a month's subscription if left unchecked. Review your usage dashboard at the end of each week until you have a feel for your typical spend.
Simpro Group released RAIN, a major update adding more than 100 AI-powered features across its Simpro, AroFlo, and BigChange platforms for contractors, tradespeople, and field service companies. New tools include smarter job scheduling, automated follow-up messages, and AI-assisted quoting. The update is included at no extra cost for existing Lightning plan customers — no price change, no add-on fee. If you use one of these platforms, contact your account manager to turn on the new features today.
