A 230-Year-Old Company Is Outpacing You With AI
Think your business is too 'traditional' for AI? Meet STADLER, a German engineering firm founded in 1791. They're now using custom versions of ChatGPT to turbocharge their operations, saving hundreds of employee hours and speeding up everything from technical translations to software development. Instead of digging through dense manuals, their 650 employees can just ask a custom chatbot for information on company processes, technical specs, or past projects. This isn't some far-off corporate fantasy. STADLER built this by securely feeding its internal documents, spreadsheets, and presentations into ChatGPT Enterprise. The takeaway is simple: AI isn't just for startups. Any business with accumulated knowledge, whether it's in binders or on a server, can create a private AI assistant. It turns your company's history into an instant, expert resource for your entire team.
It proves that any business, no matter how old or non-technical, can use AI to instantly access its own internal knowledge, saving massive amounts of time.
Source: OpenAI Blog
Quick Hits
Microsoft Puts Automation on Autopilot
Microsoft is embedding its Copilot AI directly into its Power Platform. This means you can now build complex business automations just by describing what you want in plain English. Think 'When a customer fills out a form on our website, create a new entry in our spreadsheet and send them a welcome email.' The AI builds the workflow for you. Before buying a new automation tool, check the software you already pay for. The best new AI features might already be there.
The Futurum GroupYour Favorite AI Might Go Down. Have a Plan B.
Anthropic's Claude, a popular ChatGPT alternative, recently saw its uptime dip below its usual 99.9% standard. It's a small blip but a huge reminder: cloud-based AI tools aren't invincible. If a key part of your business relies on a single AI tool for creating content or answering customer questions, you're vulnerable. Smart move: have a secondary option ready. If you primarily use Claude, keep a ChatGPT or Gemini account on standby for critical tasks.
Hacker News AIApple's Next Big Thing? AI for Everyone.
Apple has officially set the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, and the focus is squarely on AI. This means AI features are coming directly to the operating systems of iPhones, iPads, and Macs later this year. For your business, this signals a shift in how customers will interact with their devices. Get ready for new opportunities in smarter advertising, more personal customer service, and more capable business apps on the devices you use every day.
AI Software UpdatesTool of the Day
Jasper
Your AI assistant for marketing and sales content.
Jasper helps you write high-quality ad copy, blog posts, social media updates, and emails incredibly fast. It's trained on marketing frameworks and content that actually converts, so you're not just getting words, you're getting effective copy.
Go to Jasper's 'One-Shot Blog Post' template. Enter a topic your customers care about, like '5 Ways to Improve Your Home Office.' In 60 seconds, you'll have a full draft. Tweak it with your brand's voice and hit publish.
writing
Check it out →The Number
40%
That's how much of their work week knowledge workers believe could be saved with automation. For a small business, automating just a fraction of that is like hiring a new part-time employee for free.
Source: Smartsheet
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