AI got easier to use this week. It didn't get any easier to trust. This issue covers three stories worth your attention, one AI tool worth a look and one action for your business.
Your chatbot may be talking to advertisers
Researchers at IMDEA Networks in Madrid tested nine popular AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude. The researchers found that six of the nine chatbots passed conversation text, chat titles or even full prompts to third-party trackers. Rejecting non-essential cookies did not stop it: six of the nine still connected to Google Ads.
What this means for you: if staff paste client names, figures or problems into free or personal chatbot accounts, assume that information can leak.
GPT-6 arrives in everyone's ChatGPT
OpenAI began rolling out GPT-6 on 7 October. Answers can now arrive as calculators, charts and comparison tables built on the spot, not just text.
What this means for you: your team will soon be getting instant "tools" that look authoritative but have never been checked. Decide now which numbers need a human to verify them before they reach a client.
BT says missed calls cost small firms £3.7bn a year
In response, BT has launched "AI from BT", an AI receptionist. Its survey of 1,500 decision-makers at small and mid-sized UK businesses found that 67% miss at least one call a day that they believe costs them work.
What this means for you: the problem is real, but a generic phone bot doesn't know your pipeline, your fee levels or which callers matter most.
The thread running through all three
These are generic tools. To see the real benefits, you need focused AI systems that know you and your business.
AI tool worth a look: Granola
Granola takes notes in your meetings without sending a bot into the call. It listens through your laptop and turns the conversation into tidy notes and actions. The free plan keeps 30 days of notes, and Business is about £10.50 per user per month.
Your one action this week
Make a list of the AI features your team currently uses: Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, and the plug-ins inside your accounting or CRM software. For each one, check how much of it you own and control.