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Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
This Week in Small Business Technology News
Small Business Technology News #1 – Inside the AI strategies of Coca-Cola, Nike & Starbucks
Top global brands – Coca-Cola, Nike, and Starbucks – are using artificial intelligence not just to run better operations but to transform customer experiences, personalize offerings, and boost revenue. Coca-Cola has made a $1.1 billion AI investment with Microsoft, expanding o embed AI across its business. Their “Create Real Magic” holiday campaign used Azure AI to build a multilingual, conversational digital Santa that engaged over 1 million users in 26 languages. Nike uses AI in physical retail – RFID recognizes customers as they enter stores and gives personalized product recommendations based on their Nike profile. Starbucks’ Deep Brew AI platform analyzes data from millions of app users to personalize recommendations, optimize staffing, manage inventory, and tailor offers. (Source: AI Magazine)
Why this is important for your small business:
Many of my small business clients are trying to figure out how to use AI to better their businesses. For me, the answers are with big companies. That’s because larger corporations are spending hundreds of millions on new AI systems to help them with security, service, marketing and customer experiences. Some are beginning to find success. Ultimately the AI applications these larger concerns are using today will filter down to smaller companies.
Small Business Technology News #2 – Deloitte report: Human skills drive high-performing teams in the AI era.
Deloitte’s new study finds that even as AI becomes more common at work, human capabilities remain the core driver of high-performing teams. The research surveyed nearly 1,400 professionals across industries to compare team dynamics in teams that do and don’t consistently meet goals over time. High-performing teams standout not just because they use AI more – (78 percent vs. 54 percent) – but because of how they collaborate and support each other. Key human factors include: Trust and respect are key factors as high-performing teams are 2.3 times more likely to feel trusted by their team leader; agility and autonomy (teams that adapt quickly to change and give team members freedom to act with purpose); and working in a culture that embraces learning – 68 percent of respondents said they take time to help their team members learn and grow. Based on Deloitte’s data, AI isn’t replacing the human elements that make teams thrive. (Source: PR Newswire)
Why this is important for your small business:
It’s become more obvious to me that – although AI will be replacing a significant number of menial jobs in the not-too-distant-future – most employees will still be at work using AI tools to make them more productive. The employees who lean in more will also be more valuable.
Small Business Technology News #3 – Microsoft is making Teams more secure.
Microsoft has activated new security protections in Microsoft Teams as of January 12, 2026, for organizations that use the default settings. These changes are designed to make it harder for attackers to exploit Teams as an entry point for malware, phishing, credential theft, and other attacks. The update introduces multiple layers of built-in protection as Microsoft intends to strengthen the security of collaboration tools without requiring action by the administrators. Users can report incorrectly blocked files or links so IT teams can fine-tune policies. According to Microsoft, the update “contributes to proactive security” with the reaccommodation that IT teams check their settings. (Source: Techzine)
Why this is important for your small business:
Given the widespread popularity of Teams, and the risk of potential threats, it’s important to make sure your IT team is implementing these security changes.
Small Business Technology News #4 – Wix vs. Weebly: One “clearly wins.”
Jordan Minor of PCMag wrote up the results after testing website builders Wix and Weebly. According to Minor, According to him, Wix comes out on top in the head-to-head test. It generally delivers more powerful tools, better design flexibility, and stronger support than Weebly. The benefits of both platforms include free plans with Weebly offering a cheaper plan and includes unlimited storage at lower tiers. Wix offers far more templates – (1000+ vs 50 for Weebly) – and is the clear winner for design capabilities. Wix includes AI tools to help generate content or even build sites based on prompts while Weebly currently lacks AI features. “Wix is the website builder we recommend first if you’re looking for an easy way to build an online destination,” Minor said, (Source: PCMag)
Why this is important for your small business:
Both applications are popular and worth reviewing by any small business. Minor prefers Wix. I have a number of clients who are very happy with Weebly.
Small Business Technology News #5 – Google’s AI Inbox could be a glimpse of Gmail’s future.
Jay Peters of The Verge reported on Google’s experimentation with an “AI Inbox” for Gmail – a new way of showing your email that replaces the traditional list of messages with AI-generated tasks and topics drawn from your inbox contents. This version of Gmail is currently available to “test trusters” and Peters tried it out to see if it could improve his “nearly inbox-zero system.” Peters’ takeaway is AI Inbox is similar to Google Search AI mode – it produced short summaries and a suggested list of to-dos at the top with links to specific messages for follow-up. He also noted the AI “incorrectly guessed” non-relevant items. Overall, Peters found AI Inbox interesting but not essential, especially if you already keep a very tidy inbox. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your small business:
If your organization uses Google Workspace and/or Gmail, know that in the not-too-distant future Gmail will include AI functionality that will allow your team to search emails – both individual and company-wide – in natural language and as is if they’re in a regular Google search window. This is a potential huge change to your business because – let’s face it – most of your critical information can be found in an email somewhere, right?
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
