(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 — Personalized AI-written spam may soon be flooding your inbox.
AI researcher John Licato reported on the next phase of spam everyone with an inbox should be aware of. With every advancement AI provides — the complications seem to be increasing. AI has the capability of learning the intricacies of a person’s habits and preferences and using that information it can draft sophisticated and clickable messages to lure you into a spam trap. Researchers have dug into how artificial intelligence “understands” the cognitive processes involved in human language. Imposters who are looking to access sensitive information can take advantage of that capability. The good news — spam blockers also have the advantages of AI — and are developing advanced filters that weed out imposter emails.(Source: Gizmodo)
Why this is important for your business:
The spam wars will continue with both sides of the battle employing AI tools to their advantage. As business people we and our employees need to keep a heightened sense of awareness because, AI aside, nothing replaces good old common sense.
2 — Google is making it much easier to search for tools in Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Good news for Google Workspace users: locating tools will be much easier. A new tool finder tab has been added to select Workspace apps. Instead of navigating through a series of tabs — “enhanced tool finder” is a short-cut that allows users to quickly locate their go-to commands in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. This new feature is expected to be fully activated by the end of May. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
If your company uses Google Workspace I highly suggest paying a consultant to fully train you and your employees on the platform’s capabilities. I’m betting it’s very under-used.
3 — Yelp unveils 3 new features to transform user experience and boost engagement.
The business locator and customer review source Yelp has announced 3 new features to its platform. “Yelp Guaranteed” is a new program that will reimburse customers who receive below par home improvement assistance. The company guarantees a return of up to $2500 if a home improvement project isn’t completed to their expectations. This aims to preserve a roster of high-quality businesses who elect to take part in Yelp Guaranteed. The other two features are an advanced search supported by AI and interactive videos where users can film their feedback on a given establishment or service. (Source: Search Engine Land)
Why this is important for your business:
All of these changes are consumer-oriented and are designed to make user reviews more accurate and reliable. Businesses — particularly those active on Yelp — should be aware that consumer now have more tools at their disposal to report poor service.
4 — Colorado becomes the first state to pass ‘right to repair’ for farmers.
The state of Colorado is the first state to pass a “right-to-repair” law in support of farmers who’ve been hamstrung by equipment repairs. The law requires manufacturers of farm equipment to make diagnostic tools, manuals, and other repair-related resources available to farmers and independent repair shops. The aim is to give farmers more control over repairing their own equipment, rather than having to rely on expensive and often slow service from manufacturers. Other states have proposed similar legislation. (Source: WIVB-4)
Why this is important for your business:
This is a great thing for farmer in Colorado. The “right to repair” movement has given small business owners around the country the ability to have more control over the repair and maintenance costs for their technologies and there’s a lot of tech used by today’s farming equipment. I’m hoping to see more legislation like this around the country.
5 — Packaging robots market forecast to be worth $7.5 billion by 2032.
According to a report, the packaging robots market is expected to reach a value of $7.5 billion (globally) by 2032. (Source: Robotics & Automation)
Why this is important for your business:
The report predicts that the “increasing demand for automation and the need for faster and more efficient packaging processes is behind the significant growth. The food and beverage industry is expected to hold the largest share of the market, with Asia Pacific being the fastest-growing region due to the increasing adoption of automation in countries such as China and Japan.” Robotics are exploding across manufacturing and as the costs continue to come down more small and mid-sized companies are jumping on board.
