Business Tech Roundup: Google Gemini And ChatGPT Announce Big (And Flirty) Upgrades

(This column originally appeared in Forbes)

Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?

1 – Google Gemini gets an upgrade.

Last week’s Google I/O 2024 developer conference featured numerous update announcements including Gemini 1.5 Flash, which is optimized for chat applications, data extraction, and multimodal reasoning, among other tasks. Gemini’s 1.5 Pro has also received improvements with “code generation, logical reasoning and planning, multi-turn conversation.” Project Astra – the development of universal/advanced AI agents that will assist with “everyday tasks” while being able to understand complex commands – is still in its early phase. Google reported, “We've been working to improve how our models perceive, reason and converse.” (Source: The Keyword)

Why this is important for your business:

Google is getting closer and closer to Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI. Take a look at this video of its Project Astra and you’ll see how its technology can identify objects and places and assign reason to them. This will have soon have an enormous impact on robotics and other automation in the workplace.

2 – ChatGPT also gets an upgrade...and it's flirty.

OpenAI has announced GPT-4o (o for “omni”) – the latest update to ChatGPT that has been tweaked with humanlike qualities. Wired reported that demonstrations of GPT-4o revealed more fluid, “natural voice conversations” with the capacity to read emotional cues. The chatbot “adopted different emotional tones” based on the topic of discussion. It also demonstrated nuanced responses in conversation with OpenAI’s chief technology officer Mira Murati, and other employees. According to Wired, at one point it responded to a compliment about its performance with, “Oh stop it, you’re making me blush.” GPT-4o is available to both paid and free users. (Source: Wired)

Why this is important for your business:

Ever see the movie “Her” with Scarlett Johansson? It’s reported that there are more than a few OpenAI developers that are obsessed with it and now we see the results of their obsession! Sorry, you’re probably not going to have Scarlett Johansson around to converse with, but this latest iteration of ChatGPT is clearly where AI is headed: human-like interactions with sentient robots. Don’t believe me? See how ChatGPT 4o helps this guy prepare for an interview.

3 – Meta is shutting down Workplace, its enterprise communications business.

Workplace – Meta’s platform for business-focused projects and communication – will be discontinued as of 2025, TechCrunch reported. Meta issued a statement about the decision, saying, “…we can focus on building AI and metaverse technologies that we believe will fundamentally reshape the way we work." Other sources have marked August 31, 2025, as the date when Workplace will no longer offer its features and tools. From that point on the site will be read-only until May 31, 2026. (Source: TechCrunch)

Why this is important for your business:

I remember when Workplace was announced and people were predicting that it would be a huge competitor to Google and Microsoft’s office applications. Apparently not and credit to Meta for biting the bullet so they can focus on other, more profitable product lines. TechCrunch referenced a memo from Meta to Workplace members suggesting alternatives like Zoom’s Workvivo. Included in the memo are directions on how to download data that’s stored on Workplace accounts before the site is shut down.

4 – Dynasuites launches an affordable, comprehensive ERP software solution.

Software company Dynasuites that helps businesses with advanced and affordable software solutions, just announced the release of its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Dynasuites says it has developed a product that “integrates essential business functions into a single platform” which offers business owners a centralized network to track workflows, customer history, transactions, and employee information, including tasks, performance and evaluations. Pricing plans are structured according to business size and specific needs. (Source: EIN News)

Why this is important for your business:

While lesser known than many other accounting platform providers there are still plenty of advantages to working with smaller providers like Dynasuites. You’ll likely get more attention from the vendor’s development team perhaps a more customized solution for your business. You’ll also be positioned to grow as the vendor grows and it’s likely that, because it’s a newer application, its backend database and features are more advanced than their legacy competitors.

5 – Epson smart glasses help manufacturers halt downtime.

Electronics producer Epson has developed an advanced problem-solving tool for the manufacturing industry. Moverio industrial AR smart glasses (akin to Google's smart glasses) offers "hands free visual instruction" that a tablet or iPhone would otherwise provide. (Source: Manufacturing Digital)

Why this is important for your business:

Epson says that when encountering a problem with machinery an employee receives verbal and visual instruction from Moverio to resolve the issue without being hampered with a hand-held device. The smart glasses are constructed with a Si-OLED micro display that provides sharp detail for the user. The company plans to debut the technology this June at Maintec 2024.