(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Let’s Recap:
- A Forbes writer explains how to potentially make $100,000 on ChatGPT
- Microsoft Teams has 12 new features
- Meta’s Muse is popular
- HubSpot introduces significant updates
- AI chatbots are still wrong…a lot
The ChatGPT Prompt To Help Make $100,000+ in Passive Income
With recent reports about the spike in entrepreneurism, AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming a valuable resource for additional income, Rachel Wells of Forbes reports. Wells explains that creating a repeatable ChatGPT workflow — using Skills or scheduled tasks — regularly searches for income opportunities matched to a professional’s expertise. Using her own example, Wells walks through the steps of asking ChatGPT to search for paid speaking engagements, corporate workshops, webinars and other expert commentary opportunities that fit her expertise. Essentially, ChatGPT– based on a specific prompt — will source credible opportunities, determine whether compensation is confirmed or likely, locate decision makers and recommend next steps. (Source: Forbes)
Why this is important for your small business:
For starters let’s all calm down. Wells clarifies that the $100,000 is meant to convey the earning potential from high-value opportunities when AI is used to source leads in need of a specific service. I added the “help” into the headline because that’s what it’s doing. It’s helping. And that’s fine. But after opportunities are identified there will be much legwork, followup and failure before any opportunity actually turns into cash. The lesson is to be wary of any get rich quick scheme using AI that proliferate on social media. If it were that easy everyone would be doing it. And when it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.
Microsoft Teams Introduces 12 New Features for Fall 2026
Microsoft Teams announced 12 new features for this fall that center on productivity, collaboration and user experience. Eight of the 12 updates are designed for Teams users generally. They include the ability to hide or auto-hide the app bar, test microphones and speakers before meetings, redesigned meeting controls and reactions, and a new way to report suspicious meeting activity to Microsoft. Planner integration has been expanded into private and shared channels with notification previews, improving webinar registration and waitlists. Screenshot assistance allows someone to capture text or an image during a meeting and ask Copilot to explain or provide context about it. This latest update shows that Microsoft is looking to advance Teams beyond a video meeting app, into a centralized work productivity hub. To see the full list of new features, visit the link. (Source: Geeky Gadgets)
Why this is important for your small business:
These 12 new features are added to the hundreds of features, tools and shortcuts that Teams and other Office applications offer that I bet you and your employees are likely not even using. You wouldn’t be alone — I’m in the same boat and so are most of my clients. The key is getting training — hire a consultant and leverage what you own.
Meta’s Muse AI Agent Downloads are Surging. Here’s How It Compares to ChatGPT, Grok and Claude
Since Meta’s premiere of its Muse AI agent just a few weeks ago, it has received over 2.5 million downloads according to early reports. It quickly climbed to the top of U.S. app-store rankings. The early download pace compares favorably with the initial mobile launches of AI products such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini — and as of this past Friday — the app blew past ChatGPT as the leading iOS free app in the U.S. with over 730,000 downloads over a five-day period since its launch. The downloads also exceeded Claude and Grok within the same post-launch 13-day window. The strong debut has also caught the attention of Wall Street. (Source: CNBC)
Why this is important for your small business:
According to CNBC, Meta has described Muse as an assistant that “helps people stay on top of things, takes tasks and projects off their plate …” beyond just answering questions. At Meta Connect 2026, Zuckerberg presented Muse as a “version of superintelligence” as it’s clear he plans to establish Meta as a major competitor in the AI race. Many of my clients — who tend to skew older demographically — could benefit from Muse if it helps them be even more productive in both their personal and professional lives.
HubSpot Debuts Breeze Assistant & Self-Updating CRM
At this year’s Unbound conference, HubSpot presented two significant updates as part of its Fall ’26 Spotlight: The first was Breeze — the AI assistant that uses context within a company’s CRM to understand what an employee is working on and help perform related tasks. Rather than functioning as a generic chatbot, Breeze can use customer, company and team information to assign AI agents and automate work. The second announcement was the self-updating CRM that can automatically capture and synchronize information from calls, emails and meetings. (Source: CMS Wire)
Why this is important for your small business:
Leading CRM platforms like HubSpot continue to evolve with more advanced AI features to help manage customers and close deals. I recently spoke with Angie O’Dowd on my Paychex Thrive podcast about how HubSpot is expanding its partner ecosystem to help their customers better leverage their tools — it’s a good listen.
AI Chatbots Give Wrong Financial Answers Most of the Time, Study Finds
London-based tech firm Saturn conducted a study that examined how accurate and reliable popular AI chatbots are when answering personal finance questions. The results are a clear warning to not rely on artificial intelligence for specific financial guidance. Testing 18 models that included free and paid versions of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot, 121 financial questions were given — with each question being asked five times, producing more than 10,000 replies. Among the 17 current models included in the results, average accuracy was only 43 percent — or 53 percent of the answers were wrong or incomplete. Performance declined as the questions became more complicated. There was also a marked difference between free and paid AI models: Free models failed 63 percent of the tests compared to 49 percent by paid models. Saturn found that the best overall performer was Claude Opus 5 — however — it made errors 67 percent of the time answering harder questions. The findings are highly relevant as consumers are already turning to AI for money questions. The article cites an EY survey from April 2026 that found 49 percent of respondents use AI for financial advice. (Source: Investment News)
Why this is important for your small business:
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Use AI. But verify. And be careful.
Note: Have a technology story that small business owners should know about? Don’t mind me sharing my opinion? Share it with me on X @genemarks.
