Small Business Technology News: A ChatGPT Smart Speaker

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 – OpenAI’s first ChatGPT gadget could turn out to be a smart speaker with a camera attached.

OpenAI is in the process of developing new hardware according to a report published by The Information. Per the report, a ChatGPT smart speaker is in the works that will include a camera that’s capable of recognizing objects and will offer facial recognition – retailing between $200-300. The facial recognition feature could be used to verify purchases according to early details. Other hardware such as smart glasses and a smart lamp are items OpenAI is purportedly working on. As for the smart speaker, the timeline for availability is likely 2027. This latest update shows OpenAI’s initiative to expand its reach to the consumer. (Source: TechRadar)

Why this is important for your small business:

The big AI platforms are now turning into big tech companies and very soon both consumers are going to have to make choices. All Microsoft? All Apple? All Amazon? Or all OpenAI (or Claude, or Grok, etc.). As these companies move beyond chatbots to a full offering of both software and hardware – each with their strengths and weaknesses – we will need to consider carefully which ecosystem we want to join.

Small Business Technology News #2 – Intuit and Anthropic partner to bring trusted financial intelligence and custom AI agents to consumers and businesses.

Intuit has announced a partnership with Anthropic intended to deliver “custom AI agents to mid-market businesses on the Intuit platform,” as stated in a company press release. By integrating Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK, businesses will be able to build and utilize custom AI agents to handle complex workflows – e.g., accounting, project timelines, payroll – in compliance with a given industry or sector. Intuit’s platform will be accessible through Anthropic’s Claude where users can connect with tax and invoicing tools, offering key financial services through one portal. According to Intuit, rollout of the customized AI agents is scheduled for this spring. (Source: Intuit)

Why this is important for your small business:

Traditional software companies – and Wall Street – are concerned about their futures. Clearly, AI will enable companies to “vibe code” their own solutions, surpassing the need to subscribe to platforms. One strategy is to partner up with the big AI platforms doing this and I believe that’s exactly where Intuit is going. It’ll start with search and analytics (clearly Anthropic does it better than their own developers) and will ultimately morph into deeper partnerships.

Small Business Technology News #3 – Facebook Marketplace’s Venmo scam is ripping everyone off.

The latest financial scam has made its way to Facebook Marketplace as reported by writer Sean Kernan. He documents his online interactions after listing a monitor he intended to sell on Facebook Marketplace. Kernan immediately received three different replies of interest which contained odd wording, but he moved forward – until a major red flag surfaced – all three were newly created Facebook accounts. Second red flag – they all asked if he used Venmo. The scam is further described in the Yahoo piece linked here. (Source: Yahoo Creators)

Why this is important for your small business:

Be careful – and aware – when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace.

Small Business Technology News #4 – 3 new Google Chrome features can make your workday easier.

Google has announced out new updates in Google Chrome: Split View, PDF annotations, and Save to Google Drive. (Source: Mashable)

Why this is important for your small business:

According to the article Split View lets you open two tabs side-by-side in the same window, eliminating the jumping back and forth between tabs. With PDF annotations – the most requested feature according to Google – PDFs can be marked with highlights, notes, digital signatures and more, all within Chrome. Save to Google Drive lets users save any documents directly to Google Drive, skipping the process of downloading if they choose. This makes downloads easier to retrieve and track. All of these seem like good productivity tools for your employees.

Small Business Technology News #5 – The FBI says these Wi-Fi Routers are unsafe

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning that outdated home Wi-Fi routers – especially those from the late 2000s and early 2010s – are now targets for cybercriminals. Routers that are considered “end-of-life” no longer receive security updates; and have known vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. According to the FBI’s advisory, attackers are scanning the internet for these older devices to take advantage of their security flaws. If successful, bad actors can achieve remote access, install malware or add the routers to what’s called “botnets” – networks of infected devices used for cyberattacks or sold as anonymous proxy access to criminals. The FBI includes specific routers they have deemed vulnerable and recommends they be replaced as soon as possible. (Source: SlashGear)

Why this is important for your small business:

This is one of the reasons why you should be providing either hardware or IT support for any of your employees working from home. It’s likely you don’t have these routers in your office. But it’s likelier that your employees do in their homes. When setting anyone up to work from home make sure they undergo a full security review which will include installing security and monitoring software as well as checking both their devices and routers.

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