Field notes
Field notes: putting AI to work, one idea at a time
Short, practical notes for small and mid-sized teams adopting AI: how to get people using it, what to train them on, the uses that pay off first, and how to make new habits stick. For the deeper playbooks, see our Insights guides.
- 1. What's an agent?
- 2. How to prompt Claude
- 3. Wire it into your work
2 September 2026
What to tell your team the first time you introduce AI
The first conversation sets whether people lean in or quietly wait it out. Get the order right.
Read the note29 August 2026
Why AI pilots fail after they already worked in testing
Most AI pilots do not die in the test. They die in the weeks after, when nobody is responsible for keeping the tool alive.
Read the note28 August 2026
What OpenAI's new ChatGPT Admin plugin actually does
OpenAI shipped an Admin plugin for ChatGPT Work and Codex on August 25, 2026. It puts seat, usage and budget management inside a normal chat, which matters most to the businesses too small to have someone whose job is running the dashboard.
Read the note27 August 2026
What good AI adoption actually looks like
The gap between teams that get real value from AI and teams that don't isn't the tool. It's what happens after the AI answers.
Read the note26 August 2026
AI, automation and an agent: what's actually different
Not every tool called an agent actually is one, and the difference decides how much you can trust it unsupervised.
Read the note25 August 2026
Google Chat's Gemini side panel is being replaced
The old Gemini side panel disappears from Chat on August 26. Here is what replaces it, and what to save before it goes.
Read the note22 August 2026
Fix the process before you automate it
AI does not fix a bad process. It runs it faster, mistakes included.
Read the note21 August 2026
Should your business turn on ChatGPT's Computer History feature?
OpenAI's new opt-in feature builds an AI memory of your Mac activity. Here is the real tradeoff before anyone on your team switches it on.
Read the note20 August 2026
How to choose AI use cases that actually work
Most AI pilots do not fail because the model was weak. They fail because the task was wrong.
Read the note19 August 2026
How to build an AI strategy on a small budget
Most businesses running AI well right now are not paying for it.
Read the note18 August 2026
Google Sheets canvas: what it is and how to use it
A real spreadsheet feature landed this week, not a roadmap slide.
Read the note16 August 2026
How to map a business process before you automate it
The unglamorous step that decides whether automation actually helps or just speeds up the mess.
Read the note15 August 2026
What to automate first in a small business
Score candidates on frequency and consistency, fix the process, then automate exactly one.
Read the note14 August 2026
Is ChatGPT Business Premium worth $125 a seat?
OpenAI launched a $125-a-month Premium seat for ChatGPT Business on August 10, 2026. Here is who actually needs one, and the credit deadline that makes deciding worth doing now.
Read the note13 August 2026
What is an AI agent for a small business?
Not a chatbot with extra steps: what actually makes something an agent, and where one earns its keep.
Read the note12 August 2026
Which AI tool should you use for what
You do not need one AI tool for everything. You need to know which one to open for which job.
Read the note11 August 2026
Why QuickBooks Online got more expensive in 2026
Intuit tied its biggest QuickBooks Online price increase in years to a wave of new AI features. Here is what changed and how to decide if it earns its keep.
Read the note9 August 2026
Claude vs ChatGPT for business, and how to pick
Both are capable enough. The real decision is what your team actually writes, and how much it worries about where the words end up.
Read the note8 August 2026
What ChatGPT Projects are actually for
Not a Custom GPT, not a folder. Here is what a Project actually does differently.
Read the note6 August 2026
Where AI belongs in a business workflow, and where it doesn't
A short field guide to placing AI at the right step, and only the right step.
Read the note5 August 2026
How to run an AI training session for staff
Skip the slides. Structure the session around hands-on practice and it survives Monday.
Read the note4 August 2026
Gemini can now draw diagrams inside Google Docs
A real Docs feature landed this week, not a roadmap slide.
Read the note2 August 2026
What AI can and cannot do for a small business
The honest boundary between what AI is good at today and what still needs a person.
Read the note31 July 2026
What Canva Code 2.0 means for a small business
No developer, no brief, no waiting. Just a prompt and a working page.
Read the note29 July 2026
Claude's Record a Skill: teach AI a task by recording your screen
No prompt writing, no automation builder. You just do the task once and narrate it.
Read the note28 July 2026
What Zapier's Human in the Loop actually does for your AI agents
A built-in pause button for AI agents, so a person signs off before anything risky goes out.
Read the note26 July 2026
Most small businesses now use AI. Here is what that changes for you
The majority crossed over. Waiting is no longer the safe option.
Read the note25 July 2026
Gusto's new AI teammate runs payroll tasks so you do not have to ask twice
Payroll software just got an agent. Here is what that means before you hand it the keys.
Read the note24 July 2026
OpenAI's ChatGPT for Small Business, explained
OpenAI wants small businesses past one-off prompts. Here is what the new program actually offers.
Read the note23 July 2026
How to make AI usage stick after training
The session was never the hard part. The four weeks after it are.
Read the note22 July 2026
What makes someone an advanced AI user at work
It is not the model. It is three habits any small team can copy this month.
Read the note19 July 2026
Claude for Small Business, explained
Anthropic just wired Claude into the software you already run your business on. Here is what it actually does.
Read the note17 July 2026
Microsoft Teams now lets you turn AI off mid-meeting
Copilot, Facilitator and Recap used to run by default. Now the organizer decides, mid-call.
Read the note16 July 2026
Where a small team should start with AI
Skip the tool hunt. Start with the tasks that already eat your team's week.
Read the note16 July 2026
Microsoft just made Copilot a default, not an add-on
Copilot is no longer a separate purchase. That lowers the cost of trying it, not the work of making it useful.
Read the note15 July 2026
The five-hour rule for AI training
One workshop is not a programme. The habit forms after real practice, not a demo.
Read the note
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