Your New AI Coworkers Have Arrived: Here's What You Need to Know
- OCM Engineers
- Jul 18
- 3 min read
This week, two major developments have brought AI out of the science fiction realm and placed it firmly in the "genuinely useful for your business" category. And the best part? You don't need a degree in computer science to understand or use them.
Let's break down what's new and what it could mean for you.
Meet Your New AI Coworker: ChatGPT Agents
You've likely heard of ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that can write emails, create marketing copy, and answer your questions. Now, imagine if ChatGPT could not only write about doing something but could actually do it for you. That's the idea behind the new "agents" just released by its creator, OpenAI.
Think of a ChatGPT agent as a new, incredibly efficient team member. You can give it a task, and it will work away in the background to get it done. For example, you could ask it to:
"Research my top three local competitors and create a summary of their services and prices." The agent would then browse their websites, gather the information, and present it to you in a neat summary.
"Go through my emails from this week, pull out the ones from my key clients, and draft a follow-up email to each of them."
"Plan a small social media campaign for our new service, including some ideas for posts and images."
The key thing to remember is that you are always need to be in control. OpenAI claims the agent will show you what it's doing and ask for your permission before taking any significant actions.
If it works you will have a super-fast and dedicated personal assistant who can handle those time-consuming tasks, freeing you up to focus on what you do best – running your business.
A deeper dive into the features and protections is at :-
How to Access in the UK:
Subscription Required: Access to the agent functionality is exclusive to paid subscribers. You will need one of the following plans:
ChatGPT Plus
ChatGPT Pro
ChatGPT Team
Availability: The rollout for agent features is happening now. While Pro users often get first access, it is becoming available to Plus and Team users in the UK.
Important Note: OpenAI has stated that this feature is not yet available in the European Economic Area (EEA). As the UK is not in the EEA, we should have access.
A Smarter Way to Find Information: The Perplexity AI Browser, Comet.
We all use search engines like Google every day. But how often do you find yourself clicking through endless links, trying to piece together the information you need? A new web browser from a company called Perplexity AI is here to change that.
Think of a traditional search engine as a librarian who points you to a whole section of the library and says, "The answer is in one of these books." The Perplexity AI browser, called Comet, is like a librarian who goes and reads all the relevant books for you and then comes back with a concise summary of the answer, even telling you where it got the information from.
This is a game-changer for businesses that need to get up to speed on new topics quickly. For example, you could use it to:
Quickly understand a new piece of legislation that might affect your business. Instead of reading through dense government websites, you can ask Perplexity to explain it in simple terms.
Get a summary of a long report or article without having to read the whole thing.
Find the best software for your needs by asking a question like, "What is the best accounting software for a small UK business with five employees?"
The Perplexity Comet browser is currently in an early access phase, rolling out to users on a waitlist and to subscribers of their most premium plans.
What Does This Mean for Your Business?
These new AI tools are more than just clever new toys. They represent a real shift in how we can use technology to be more productive and efficient. For small businesses, this is fantastic news. It means you can now access powerful AI coworkers that were once only available to large corporations with big budgets.
The world of AI is still new, and it's okay to feel a little bit daunted by it all. But the key takeaway from this week's news is that AI is becoming more accessible and more useful for everyone, not just the tech experts.
Interested in exploring how you can use these new AI tools in your business? Get in touch with us today, and let's have a chat about how we can help you harness the power of technology to take your business to the next level.
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