This Week in Small Business Tech News

Small Business Technology News #1 – Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says Google’s Gemini 3 just blew past ChatGPT: ‘I’m not going back.’

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has publicly declared that he is abandoning OpenAI’s ChatGPT in favor of Google’s newly launched Gemini 3, calling the leap in capability “insane” and saying he’s “not going back.” Highlighting Gemini 3’s speed, reasoning ability, and multimodal features (handling text, images, and more seamlessly) as reasons for the switch, Benioff’s reaction went viral with over one million views. Other tech leaders – including Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO) and Andrej Karpathy (AI researcher) – have also praised Gemini 3’s performance, suggesting it represents a major leap in AI. Benioff’s strong endorsement underscores how quickly the AI landscape is shifting. Benioff’s move away from ChatGPT to Gemini 3 signals that Google’s latest model may have achieved a breakthrough that could reshape enterprise adoption and investor confidence. (Source: Business Insider)

Why this is important for your small business:

Benioff isn’t alone. Many in the tech community are blown away by the speed and capability of Google’s latest AI platform. OpenAI once owned this space, but it didn’t take long for the competition to appear and even surpass its capabilities. This will be an interesting race to watch over the next few years. It will all depend on partnerships, integration, ease of use and – oh right – actual value of the various chatbots competing for our attention.

Small Business Technology News #2 – Microsoft drops M365 Copilot price for SMBs, upgrades free Copilot Chat.

Starting December 1, 2025, Microsoft is lowering the price of Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business for small and mid-sized companies while also expanding access to Copilot Chat at no extra cost. The new cost of $21/month per user is down from $30 and applies to organizations with 300 or fewer employees. Copilot – which is now integrated into Microsoft apps (Excel, Word, Outlook) – reflects efforts to make AI tools more accessible to smaller businesses, a segment often sensitive to subscription costs. This move signals Microsoft’s push to broaden adoption of AI in the workplace, especially among SMBs that may have hesitated due to cost. The company stated in its blog, “We heard from smaller companies that they wanted a version that would fit their needs and budgets … so we’re making that happen.” (Source: Computerworld)

Why this is important for your small business:

It’s a bad move. For starters I really don’t think many organizations are going to change their buying decisions because they’re saving $9 per month. Secondly it almost admits that their AI assistant isn’t competitive with others and by lowering the price they’re only reinforcing that position. In my opinion, Microsoft shouldn’t be charging anything for this product. Just imbed it everywhere and make it so good that users can’t live without it, or the Microsoft applications they’re actually paying for.

Small Business Technology News #3 – ChatGPT’s voice mode is no longer a separate interface.

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT so that Voice Mode is now integrated directly into the main chat interface, eliminating the need for a separate screen. Voice Mode used to require switching to a separate interface with an animated blue circle. Users could only listen to responses, not see them as text, unless they exited Voice Mode. Users can talk, see responses appear in real time, and review earlier messages without leaving the conversation. Visuals such as images and maps can also be displayed during voice interactions. OpenAI added that for those who prefer to use Voice Mode separately can still do so by selecting “Separate Mode” in the Settings menu. (Source: TechCrunch)

Why this is important for your small business:

Do you use Voice Mode? I do and highly recommend it. It allows me to have ongoing, uninterrupted conversations with my AI assistant as if I had a real human assistant sitting next to me. These changes will make Voice Made even easier to use.

Small Business Technology News #4 – These 7 AI chatbots are better than ChatGPT, according to users.

A new study by British tech company Prolific – called Humaine – found that several AI chatbots outperform OpenAI’s ChatGPT in user satisfaction, with Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro ranked first. Despite ChatGPT’s massive popularity, users rated other models higher for clarity, adaptability, and trust. DeepSeek v3 was the second most popular and excelled in communication style, especially with older users. Mistral AI’s Magistral Medium was the third most popular for its natural conversation flow. The study’s participants – who represented a several demographic groups from the US and UK – evaluated the chatbots based on four metrics: Core task performance/reasoning; fluidity/adaptiveness; communication style; and trust/ethics/safety. Despite ranking 8th, ChatGPT still dominates usage globally, accounting for 48 percent of all chatbot interactions. The Humaine study emphasizes human-centered evaluation – how well chatbots make users feel understood, safe, and engaged – and shows that market dominance doesn’t equal best user experience. (Source: BGR)

Why this is important for your small business:

This is a very useful report, particularly for professionals, managers and business owners that are trying to decide on which AI Assistant is best for them personally, and their business.

Small Business Technology News #5 – Intuit SMB MediaLabs audiences now available on the Trade Desk platform, connecting advertisers with small and mid-market businesses.

Intuit has announced that its SMB MediaLabs – a “first-of-its-kind” advertising network. Audiences are now available on The Trade Desk platform, giving advertisers new ways to reach small and mid-market businesses (SMBs) with more precision and scale. SMB MediaLabs leverages proprietary data from QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and other Intuit services. (Source: Intuit)

Why this is important for your small business:

According to Intuit, by integrating with The Trade Desk, advertisers can more effectively connect with SMB decision-makers through improved campaign performance (tailored messaging to SMBs). Intuit positions itself as a data partner for advertisers, not just a software provider. This collaboration bridges a gap between advertisers and SMBs, giving brands a more direct line to business buyers while ensuring data privacy and compliance.

Forbes