Close-up of a person’s hand holding a smartphone and using the Opus 4 model within the Claude app from AI company Anthropic, Lafayette, California, May 22, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Gado via Getty ImagesLet’s Recap:Anthropic has released new integration capabilities for Claude and Google Workspace users;Goldman Sachs shows where AI is impacting the workplace;Anthropic CEO Amodei shares his thoughts on AI;ChatGPT digs deeper into Google Drive;LinkedIn offers an AI Playbook.Claude Can Do More with Gmail and Google Drive, and Access to Claude Cowork is Expanding
Anthropic’s Claude now has advanced capabilities with Gmail and Google Drive, the company announced. Its Google Workspace connector has been expanded and Claude can send messages through Gmail and manage files in Google Drive. Claude Cowork – the tool that can plan, execute and complete multi-step workflows – can now be accessed via mobile and web interfaces on all paid accounts allowing users to monitor tasks from other locations than just their desktop. The update makes Claude more useful in carrying out work tasks as Anthropic is evolving the assistant into more of an AI workplace agent. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your small business:
At this point in the maturation of AI assistants, we’re seeing many out-of-the-box tools for connecting to most major business applications. The problem isn’t the tech. It’s with how we’re using these tools. Most of my clients are letting their employees haphazardly take advantage of these things as the individually see fit. I think that’s wrong. This is powerful stuff and there needs to be a coordinated rollout specific to entire teams where everyone gets trained and then together use these applications consistently, rather than going rogue. Hire a consultant or designate a project manager internally. Identify the objectives. Agree on the usage. Then rollout and train.
Goldman Studied Where AI is Squeezing Labor Markets. Here’s What It Found
Goldman Sachs has published a report on AI’s impact on employment in various industries. Goldman estimates adoption across major developed economies has reached roughly 15 percent to 20 percent. According to the report, industries with greater exposure to AI have experienced slower growth in job openings since 2022. Employment has also fallen below historical trends in areas including software publishing, management consulting, and advertising. Among professional services, call centers have seen significant decrease in employment with 39 percent below trend in the U.S., 33 percent below trend in Canada and 27 percent below trend in Germany. Goldman reports that entry-level jobs are especially vulnerable after it examined employment growth of 800 occupations and found AI-related employment pressure was strongest among entry-level workers. The investment bank’s takeaway is AI’s impact on jobs is evident but remains “limited to a relatively narrow set of industries and workers.” (Source: CNBC)
Why this is important for your small business:
My takeaway: it’s still too early to tell what impact AI will have on jobs and on one really knows. Even Goldman admits the impact is “limited.” Will it be significant? Will, as Mark Zuckerberg predicts, many new jobs will be created as teams breakout from companies? Smart people. But not smart enough to accurately predict this.
Anthropic’s Amodei Weighs in on AI
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlined his thoughts in an X post about AI regulation and the “false choice” often presented – restricting its use to the powerful few or granting wide distribution. Taking the topic further, Amodei said that he disagrees with the notion that regulating AI constrains corporate power and benefits the everyday user. For Amodei, AI regulation is more complicated than people have conveyed or sometimes perceive. He confirmed his support of the Trump administration’s approach of testing models pre-deployment. Amodei continued in a “Part 2” post to address his public messaging on AI which some have reacted to as particularly negative. “I do not agree,” Amodei said and pointed out the essays he’s published on both the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence – while published social media clips of his past comments on AI are disproportionately negative. On the public’s perception of AI in general, Amodei believes that the resistance and skepticism is a result of “a crisis of trust.” These two posts are worth a read as Amodei thoroughly lays out his position on AI. (Source: Dario Amodei)
Why this is important for your small business:
It’s good to hear that the CEO of Anthropic is transparent about the risks and benefits of the technology that his company is developing. It’s good to hear that he supports oversight. And it’s good to hear that he recognizes our trust concerns. While these battles play out your job, as a business owner, is to evaluate risks. Some things – AI powered drones – you really can’t influence. But how you use AI in your business is something you can control and it can provide great benefits as long as you’re willing to accept the risks involved.
ChatGPT’s Google Drive Plugin Now Lets You Edit, Save Files Directly from Chat
PCMag contributor Jibin Joseph wrote about ChatGPT’s “boosted” Google Drive plug-in. As of August 13, users can now work on their Google Drive files directly in ChatGPT and edit, summarize, or create new content. Joseph takes you through where to locate the plug-in in ChatGPT. Once the Google Drive plugin is connected, users can browse supported files through the Library and bring one into a conversation using an @mention or “Add from Library” option. This works with shared files as well. Joseph reports that the feature is available on the web for Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare subscribers. (Source: PCMag)
Why this is important for your small business:
This gets back to my earlier comment above. ChatGPT, like Anthropic and all the others, are rolling out more integrations with popular business applications. Have a plan to roll these out that benefits your team, not just individuals.
LinkedIn Playbook Offers Guide to Optimizing for AI
LinkedIn has released a new “playbook” for B2B marketers on how to optimize their content for AI – to boost their visibility as a source or citation in AI chatbot responses. According to the article, third-party research indicates that LinkedIn is already among the more frequently cited sources in AI chatbot answers. Brands can take advantage of this trend and follow what’s called a “Credibility Stack” – the framework for optimization. The idea is to establish multiple credibility signals across LinkedIn – through a company’s presence, employees and relevant creators – so AI systems have more information connecting a brand with certain subjects or areas of expertise. (Source: Social Media Today)
Why this is important for your small business:
With the recent shift from standard SEO to AI-generated results, LinkedIn’s playbook is a valuable resource.
Note: Have a technology story that small business owners should know about? Don’t mind me sharing my opinion? Share it with me on X @genemarks.