AI voice comes to Gmail

Here are five things that happened in the tech industry this week and how they impact your business. Were you lonely?

1 – Gmail: Google will reportedly add AI voice capabilities.

You may soon be able to hear email drafts in Gmail. Google Workspace Labs is a program where users can access, test, and provide feedback on the latest AI-powered tools. “Help Me Write” is one of the tools you can enable in Google Docs and Gmail, where AI drafts content based on specific prompts.This voice feature was discovered in the Gmail mobile app (documented on the SPAndroid blog) and allows users to[ヘルプ]Tapping the tab opened a microphone prompt for audio recording. Although Google hasn’t made an official announcement, this is an indicator of future AI capabilities. (Source: Mashable)

Why this is important for your business:

If there’s one thing that separates baby boomers from younger generations, it’s that while younger generations type messages, we tend to talk into our phones when composing messages. Audio transcription has become so accurate and so much faster than typing that I can’t explain this phenomenon, but I think it’s just another way we’re smarter and more experienced. Let’s think about it. Perhaps being able to speak AI and use AI to craft better emails will be a tipping point for young people. Let’s take a look.

2 – Novo introduces Novo Payroll for small and medium-sized businesses powered by Check.

Novo, a platform offering online business banking, has announced a payroll solution. Novo has partnered with payroll infrastructure company Check to “empower small businesses to manage their finances from a single platform.” As stated in the press release, the Novo-Check integration “not only reduces administrative burden, but also ensures accuracy and compliance with regulatory standards.” Benefits include built-in accounting features, single and multi-state payroll, next-day payouts, and more. (Source: Business Wire)

Why this is important for your business:

For years, I’ve predicted (incorrectly) that banks would acquire accounting software companies and provide a one-stop shop for their customers. I’m still waiting for that to happen, but I’d love to see more banks partner with accounting and payroll providers to integrate banking with recordkeeping and processing, like Novo. is reassuring.

3 billion to 26 billion records leaked: Dropbox, LinkedIn, and Twitter are named.

In cybersecurity news, the MOAB (Mother of All Breaches) incident was just discovered. As reported by Forbes, researchers from Security Discovery and CyberNews note that “more than 26 billion data records” were compromised, including records from LinkedIn, Twitter, Dropbox, and government agencies. There is speculation that data brokers are behind this large-scale attack, potentially selling the data to other bad actors for sophisticated schemes and targeted attacks. The data is also believed to have been accumulated from past breaches. Researchers are urging the public to be extremely careful. Adam Pilton, cybersecurity consultant at CyberSmart, recommends effective practices such as two-factor authentication. “This is a huge amount of data…we have to take action to protect ourselves,” he said. (Source: Forbes)

Why this is important for your business:

If you haven’t had a security audit for your business, you should make it a priority. If this news doesn’t wake you up, I don’t know what will. Please consult your IT company.

4 – Humans are still cheaper than AI for most jobs, MIT found.

MIT recently published a study concluding that introducing AI to tasks performed by humans is not very cost-effective. As the study’s publisher explains, the study “critically examines the economic practicality of using AI to automate tasks in the workplace.” Researchers took a close look at tasks that require the use of computer vision and found that only 23% of tasks are economically viable to automate. Based on data collected from his 1,000 vision-related tasks in 800 occupations, only 3% met cost-effectiveness criteria. (Source: Bloomberg)

Why this is important for your business:

The study cites a summary from Neil Thompson of MIT CSAIL. “Based on these findings, hopes and fears about the upcoming wave of AI that will wipe out jobs are not sustainable.” I think that’s true…in the short term. But ultimately, I believe that AI will replace many jobs and create even more over the next 10 years.

5 – Microsoft Teams makes it easy to control your webcam and audio during meetings.

Users will find a down arrow on the toolbar next to the camera or microphone button. When pressed, the “More video options” or “More audio options” link becomes active. These same settings can be accessed through the More Actions button in the toolbar. Users will find this a welcome upgrade that eliminates the need to navigate through multiple layers to adjust microphones and cameras. (Link: The Verge)

Why this is important for your business:

Nice little perks to help you and your people use Teams even better. If you aren’t aware of this, you probably don’t know about other time-saving practices in Office. Why not consider training this year?

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