Business Tech Roundup: You Can Now Talk To ChatGPT For Free

(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 – You can now talk to ChatGPT like Siri for free, but it won't reveal OpenAI's secrets.

OpenAI will now allow free access to a voice enabled chatbot in the GPT-3.5 version that’s programmed with information through January of 2022 and can be activated on the iPhone 15 Pro. Some say it’s a more dynamic chatbot than Siri with the conversational timbre it transmits. Users can also choose from five different languages and save each chat. Regardless of timing, OpenAI’s decision to make this freely available will likely increase interest. (Source: TechRadar)

Why this is important for your business:

Generative AI products will all soon be voice-enabled, which means business owners can say their instructions without typing and then interact back and forth with the bot until the best response is received. AI is a powerful assistant. We talk to our assistants. This makes sense.

2 – Salesforce and AWS expand their partnership.

CRM platform Salesforce is expanding its partnership with AWS (Amazon Web Services) to make it easier for customers to “seamlessly and securely manage their data” across both platforms. (Source: MarTech Series)

Why this is important for your business:

This is important news for companies that have their data and software running on AWS. On the AI front, customers will have access to various technologies available in the Salesforce Einstein 1 Platform to integrate into their systems. This latest announcement includes an AWS plan to “expand its use of Salesforce products such as Salesforce Data Cloud” as stated in the press release. This is the first time Salesforce products will be available in the AWS marketplace. “Today’s announcement is an incredible milestone, said Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s CEO. “We’re bringing together the #No. 1 AI CRM provider and the leading cloud provider to deliver a trusted, open, integrated data and AI platform.”

3 – Microsoft reveals new features for its Teams Updates app including exporting data to Excel.

Microsoft Teams announced new additions to its Updates app – a collaboration tool that allows team members to submit status reports on projects, tasks and check-ins. (Source: Neowin)

Why this is important for your business:

Among the new features is the ability to export updates to Excel spreadsheets to make it easier to “analyze data” which can also be outlined with questions. For example – recipients of the spreadsheet can ask about deadlines for certain items or what team members are assisting with other items. Microsoft stated they believe these updates will “make it easier to convey the product’s value.”

4 – Evernote may limit free users to just 50 notes.

Note-taking app Evernote is changing things up in an effort to increase revenue, according to recent reports. The free plan has a limit of 50 notes and 1 notebook. Beyond 50, users would need to upgrade – however – this updated plan structure only affects a limited number of users. Bending Spoons – the Milan-based developer that bought Evernote in January of 2023 – is applying the 50-note limit as a “test” according to their statements. They’ve assured their users – over 200 million – that this won’t impact any managing or editing capabilities. (Source: Gizmodo)

Why this is important for your business:

This past summer, the company laid off nearly all of its US and Chile-based employees then relocated operations to Europe. This latest adjustment to their pricing plans might be the beginning of future changes. I was once a heavy Evernote user and ultimately left the platform for a better product. This kind of news is not exactly enticing me back.

5 – Why Coda is the most underrated productivity tool of 2023.

Coda – the all-in-one organizational tool – is apparently low on the list of usership for 2023. Which is why it’s under-rated and worth a look by business owners. (Source: Fast Company)

Why this is important for your business:

Those who use the platform like Jeremy Caplan from Wonder Tools highlight the following: Coda exceeds Google Docs with its multimedia capabilities. YouTube videos can be embedded into a document and be played – glitch-free – as well as audio files and media from other social platforms. Users can also display content from a range of other apps. In addition to media, you can also embed documents created in other platforms such as Airtable or Canva. Coda also has an impressive cache of AI tools – such as a chat function and an AI-editor – free of charge.