Report: 76% say they want to become an AI expert, BUT...
We seems to haven't been walking the talk.
Slack's recent research shows the paradox:
61% have spent less than five hours learning AI, and 30% admit to having zero training—no courses, no self-directed learning, not even experimenting.
In this issue, I have news and inspiration for you to apply AI in your work, team, and organization:
- ChatGPT can now read your apps, and its AI agent system is arriving soon
- Perplexity continues to make more Google shortcuts with AI shopping
- Microsoft’s AI could soon have “near-infinite memory”
- 200+ AI adoption examples with Microsoft AI
and other must-know AI news for busy leaders:
Practical Tips for the AI-Driven Workplace
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“Your AI Team” Platform Updates
Essential updates from our core AI platforms can mean big changes in your and your team's productivity. Here's what's new from the essential AI tools that most Lead with AI leaders are using:
ChatGPT
1/ OpenAI has rolled out a new feature for ChatGPT on MacOS, allowing it to read code in developer-focused apps like VS Code, XCode, Terminal, and iTerm2.
This means you no longer need to copy-paste your code for ChatGPT to understand the context. It can automatically access up to 200 lines from your active window.
Though ChatGPT can’t directly modify your code (yet!), OpenAI considers this a prep stage toward its agentic systems. The feature, called “Work with Apps,” is now available for Plus and Teams users, with more app integrations, like text-based apps for writing tasks, expected to come soon.
To try this feature on the ChatGPT MacOS app, go to your Settings and enable 'Work with Apps,' then enable apps under the 'Manage Apps' section.
2/ Another good news for Windows users: OpenAI has rolled out its ChatGPT Windows app to free-tier users, broadening access beyond its initial subscriber-only launch. (Download it here)
The app, compatible with Windows 10 and 11, offers the same functionality as the web and iOS versions, including custom GPTs, companion windows, and the advanced voice mode – plus a suite of handy keyboard shortcuts.
Google Gemini
1/ Google has launched a standalone Gemini app for iOS, giving iPhone users full and free access to its AI-powered assistant, Gemini Live. (Download it here)
Gemini Live enables free-flowing, lifelike conversations with customizable voices (10 celestial options), supports over ten languages, and is compatible with Apple's Dynamic Island to keep conversations active while multitasking.
While it can't control phone settings or integrate with Apple-native apps like Siri, Gemini Live leans on its own ecosystem advantage to let you interact with other Google services like Google Maps, Gmail, Calendar, and YouTube.
2/ Google’s modern take on clip art: Gemini-powered AI image generation in Docs lets users create custom inline images and full-bleed cover photos with just a prompt. This tool, powered by Google’s advanced Imagen 3 model, offers photorealistic detail and customizable styles like photography or watercolor.
Now rolling out to early-access (Rapid Release) accounts over the next 10 days, it will reach all eligible paid Workspace users with Gemini add-ons starting December 16.
To try it (if you’re given access), head to Insert > Image/Cover Image > Help me create an image.
Perplexity
1/ You might notice follow-up questions labeled “Sponsored” on Perplexity this week as it starts testing ads in the U.S., with brands like Indeed and Whole Foods onboard.
Perplexity says the ads, which appear alongside answers, won’t affect response accuracy or use personal data.
The initiative is part of an effort to fund its publisher revenue-sharing program and build a more sustainable business model as subscription revenue proves insufficient.
2/ Moreover, Perplexity’s new AI-powered shopping assistant can now buy products for you, introducing a new AI commerce experience. Features include:
- Buy with Pro: U.S. Pro users can check out directly for select items with saved info and enjoy free shipping (thanks to its Shopify partnership). Users are redirected to the retailer’s website if the product isn't eligible.
- Snap to Shop: Take a photo of an item to find relevant products instantly, even without knowing the name or description.
- Best Product Picks: AI-curated product cards with key details in a simple, visual format for quick comparisons.
This feature is currently limited to users in the U.S.
Lead, Don’t Follow—Master AI Now
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What's included:
- Expert guidance: Live masterclasses every month to help you integrate AI into your workflow and make an impact.
- A connected community: Join sub-communities of senior leaders across industries to exchange actionable insights.
- Valuable resources: Stay informed with 30+ video lessons and cutting-edge research on AI tools and applications.
Over 170 leaders from companies like Apple, Gartner, and Toyota have already transformed how they work with AI. Will you be next?
How Companies Implement AI
Microsoft’s AI Enterprise Solutions
Our community members with hands-on experience using Microsoft Copilot agree: When it comes to managing highly confidential Enterprise decks, chats, and data across M365, this AI stands out as the best choice.
While other models might be easier to use or deliver better outputs for many other use cases, Microsoft is top of mind for enterprise-level solutions with its strong credibility and capability.
More than 85% of Fortune 500 companies are leveraging Microsoft AI solutions, with 210 documented examples showcasing success across organizations of varying sizes, industries, and geographies.
Key areas where Microsoft has driven impactful transformation include:
1. Enriching Employee Experiences: Automating repetitive tasks to free employees for creative, complex work, improving productivity and job satisfaction.
Examples: Axon Enterprise deployed an Azure-powered AI tool called Draft One and gained an 82% decrease in time spent on reports, which freed up officers to engage more with their community.
2. Reinventing Customer Engagement: Personalizing customer experiences and automating content creation to enhance satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Examples: Telkomsel, with an Azured-powered AI virtual assistant, increased self-service interactions from 19% to 45% and decreased call volume from 8,000 to 1,000 calls a day.
3. Reshaping Business Processes: AI optimizes workflows across functions like supply chain, marketing, and finance, discovering growth opportunities.
Examples: The National Bank of Greece built an Azure-powered Document AI solution to transform its document processing, improving the bank’s accuracy to 90%.
4. Accelerating Innovation: Generative AI reduces time-to-market and enables groundbreaking developments in industries like healthcare, automotive, and education.
Examples: Unilever is partnering with Microsoft to identify new digital capabilities to drive product innovation forward, from unlocking the secrets of our skin’s microbiome to reducing the carbon footprint of a multibillion-dollar business.
The AI Executive Brief
The AI Executive Brief: AI Impacts on the US Election, Will AI Agents Replace Apps, ChatGPT & Claude’s AI Regulation Calls
The AI Brief: The Secret Sauce for Human-AI Teamwork, The New Wave of Agentic AI for the Workplace
OpenAI Nears Launch of AI Agent Tool “Operator”
OpenAI is reportedly working on its AI agent system, codenamed “Operator,” which can perform complex tasks like booking travel or writing code autonomously.
Seen as part of a broader trend, AI agents are hailed by CEO Sam Altman as the “next giant breakthrough” in computing. Competitors like Anthropic’s browser tool, Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, and Google’s "Jarvis" have already entered the space, with Operator most directly challenging Jarvis as a browser-based assistant.
As you might guess, the autonomous nature of AI agents raises concerns about trust and accuracy. Rumors swirl about the company “hitting the scaling wall,” with the much-anticipated “Orion” model postponed due to only incremental gains over GPT-4 and modest accuracy scores on its own "SimpleQA" benchmark. But will OpenAI, still the most impressive AI player so far, surprise us big once again in this next wave of AI?
OpenAI aims to release a research preview of "Operator" as early as January, initially through their API for developer access.
Microsoft’s AI Could Soon Have “Near-Infinite Memory,” Says CEO Mustafa Suleyman
In an interview with Times Techies, Microsoft CEO Mustafa Suleyman revealed the company is testing prototypes with "near-infinite memory"—and he says it’s the “critical piece” for AI’s future.
Unlike today’s systems, which forget past sessions, this tech promises deeply personalized interactions by retaining everything you share.
Suleyman predicts these memory-enabled AIs will roll out by 2025, transforming how we interact with technology. “It means everything you say to it, you’ll get back in a useful way,” he explained.
If it works, this could be the next big leap for AI.
Quick Hits
- Google’s experimental Gemini-Exp-1114 hits GPT-4o’s level in key AI benchmarks, with higher scores on mathematics, creative writing, and visual understanding. This is big news for Google who hadn’t ranked #1 before. But just days before the release, an earlier version reportedly told a user seeking homework help, “Please die.” The incident raises big questions about AI safety and whether flashy scores mean anything in the real world.
- “Quantization,” a popular method to shrink AI models and cut costs, is reaching its limits. A new study shows that heavily quantized models, like Meta’s Llama 3, lose performance on massive datasets, raising questions about whether the industry’s “bigger is better” mindset is sustainable.
- Writer (#63 Top 100 AI for Work) secured $200 million in funding, bringing its valuation to $1.9 billion. Known for its customizable AI platform and proprietary Palmyra models, Writer plans to expand its enterprise focus with AI agents, no-code tools, and secure solutions trusted by clients like Salesforce, Qualcomm, Uber, and L’Oréal.
- AI poetry is beating Shakespeare: A new study on over 1,600 participants reveals that people consistently prefer AI-generated poetry over classics by literary giants like Shakespeare and Sylvia Plath. Surprisingly, they can’t even tell the difference until they find out it's AI, sparking debates about creativity, bias, and “the soul of art.”
- Semrush’s study of 200,000 keywords reveals that AI Overviews dominate low-volume, informational queries but rarely align with top organic results. Even a top 10 ranking doesn’t ensure inclusion, as AI Overviews frequently pull links from other sources.
- After 13 years, Apple’s Final Cut Pro finally goes up to 11 with two all-new AI features: Magnetic Mask for green screen-free isolation and Transcribe to Captions for instant closed captions. Built for M-series chips, it’s faster, smarter, and available now for $300 (with a 90-day free trial) or as a free update.
- AMD is cutting 4% of its workforce, or around 1,000 jobs, as it reallocates resources toward the "largest growth opportunities." The company expects $5 billion in AI chip sales this year but continues to trail Nvidia, which dominates over 80% of the AI chip market.
From The Lead with AI Community
Every day, Lead with AI members discuss practical ways to benefit from AI in their work and organizations.
This week's highlights include:
- Henrik shared Brian Elliot's post on new Slack research about AI enthusiasm dampening and highlighted that people still think AI is cheating.
- Miriam stressed that successful AI adoption goes beyond tools and training; it requires rethinking current roles and how they can evolve with AI.
- Following Chegg's story last week, Antony shared that winners won't be those who blindly adopt AI or resist it but master the art of human-AI collaboration with their own "AI Synergy Points.”
- Miriam also shared an MIT Sloan article on how AI can shape human behavior here.
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See you next week,
Practical Tips for the AI-Driven Workplace
Get real strategies AND implementation guides from business leaders delivered to your inbox every Tuesday.