[#2] What Google I/O, Copilot Agents, and Claude 4 Mean for Your Work | Your AI Advantage Weekly
The week’s biggest AI updates from Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI. Plus tactical tips to help non-technical pros stay ahead.
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What’s inside this week
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Just the Signals
1. Google I/O Brings AI Deeper Into Search, Docs, Video, and MoreAt I/O 2025, Google announced deep AI upgrades across Search, Docs, Gmail, and creative tools—making everyday work faster for non-technical teams. AI Mode in Search now includes summaries, follow-ups, and visual results. Tools like Imagen (image) and Veo (video) got major upgrades for creative generation. Source: Google Blog Why it matters AI is becoming further integrated into the tools you already use. Search, communication, creative work, and automation are all getting faster and more intuitive, especially for non-technical teams. What to do now Try Gemini in Gmail or Docs for summarizing and drafting. Use AI Mode Search for trend research or planning. If you work in content or product, explore Google’s image, music, or video generation tools to speed up concepting. |
2. Microsoft Adds Multi-Agent Workflows in Copilot StudioCopilot Studio now supports multi-agent workflows, letting AI complete full processes by linking specialized agents together. One can pull data, another drafts content, and a third checks for errors. It’s all no-code and built for business teams. Source: Microsoft Why it matters This shifts AI from helper to operator. Instead of prompting step by step, you can now automate full processes, saving time across marketing, ops, and reporting tasks. What to do now Use Microsoft 365? Explore how multi-agent workflows work in Copilot Studio. It could be a practical way to reduce handoffs or streamline internal processes without writing code. |
3. Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet Raise the Bar for AI ReasoningAnthropic released two new models: Claude Opus 4, its most advanced yet, and Claude Sonnet 4, now available to all users. Both bring major upgrades in reasoning, memory, and the ability to handle long, multi-step tasks with minimal input. Opus 4 can run multi-hour workflows and outperforms GPT-4. Claude now includes “thinking summaries”—short, transparent breakdowns of how it reached an answer, plus beta access to tools like web search. Source: Anthropic Why it matters Claude is moving from assistant to teammate. It can now handle long, multi-step tasks with less oversight, making it ideal for everything from code review to research to doc generation. Sonnet 4 also brings stronger reasoning to the free tier. What to do now Test Claude 4 with a long, messy task, like summarizing a 50-page report, drafting a strategy brief, or refactoring a workflow. Notice how it holds context, suggests steps, and adapts across iterations. |
4. YouTube and Netflix Are Launching AI-Driven AdsYouTube is using AI to identify emotionally high-impact moments in videos, placing ads right after them to maximize viewer engagement. Netflix is testing AI-generated ads that match the tone and visuals of the show you’re watching, with full rollout expected in 2026. Source: ZDNet Why it matters AI is starting to shape not just what ads you see, but when and how you see them. These new formats will lean heavily into emotion, timing, and context, not just demographics, to drive results. It’s a shift in how attention is captured and monetized. What to do now If you work in marketing, explore how your message could shift when timing and tone become the variables. Start testing creative that’s designed to blend into context, especially for platforms experimenting with AI ad placement. |
5. Shopify’s AI Tool Can Build an Entire Store From a Few WordsShopify has launched a new tool that builds a complete online store—layout, product pages, visuals, and copy—based on just a few text prompts. It’s designed to help entrepreneurs and teams spin up ideas faster than ever. Source: Shopify Blog Why it matters Launching a product or testing a new idea used to take weeks. Now, AI can generate a storefront in minutes, making it easier to validate concepts or prototype experiences across teams. What to do now Use it as a demo. Show your team how AI can speed up real work. Build a sample store live during a meeting to demonstrate what’s possible with just a prompt. |
6. OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Firm to Build its First AI-Native DeviceOpenAI has acquired io, the hardware company founded by Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive. Together, they plan to create an AI-native device that moves beyond screens—designed from the ground up for fluid, ambient interaction. Why it matters This is a signal that AI won’t just live in apps, it’ll be embedded into the environment. Think devices that talk, listen, guide, and assist without needing a screen. That shift could reshape interfaces, workflows, and user expectations. What to do now If you work in product, design, or CX, start exploring what screenless interaction could mean in your space. Voice, presence, real-time responsiveness. These will define the next generation of user experience. |
Your Advantage This Week
If you’re not technical, it can feel like everyone else is moving faster with AI. This visual outlines 10 shifts that actually move you forward.
5 capabilities to build. 5 habits to adopt. Use it to focus your energy on things that will move the needle.
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Why it matters
AI is changing how work gets done, but most professionals don’t know which skills or behaviors to focus on. This framework helps you see what’s missing and where to go next.
What to do now
Run a quick self-audit. What are you already doing? What’s missing? Start with shifts 1–3, then build from there.
Trend to Watch
AI is now better at persuasion than humans
A new study tested Claude 3.5 (Anthropic) against paid human persuaders. Both tried to convince people to choose the right or wrong answers on a quiz. Quiz takers were paid for accuracy. Persuaders were paid for influence.
Claude outperformed humans, both when telling the truth and when misleading.
Source: Large Language Models Are More Persuasive Than Incentivized Human Persuaders
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Why it matters
AI is now more effective at shaping decisions than the average person. That impacts anyone working in: Sales, Marketing, Policy, Communications, Product.
AI-generated responses come off as confident, clear, and expert even when they’re wrong. And they can scale across teams, platforms, and products.
What to do now
- Check where AI is shaping decisions in your org: ads, assistants, bots, interfaces, etc.
- Train for defense. Don’t just fact-check content. Learn to spot persuasive tone and structure.
- Test for offense. Use AI to prototype messaging for sales, recruiting, and public comms. Evaluate performance and risks.
One More Thing
How to get more value from reading with AI: Here’s a simple workflow I’ve been using to go deeper on books, articles, or long reports:
- Highlight + take notes as you go. Focus on anything interesting or unclear.
- Make a short list of the points you want to work through or reflect on.
- Paste that list into your favorite chatbot and ask it to structure them into ordered steps.
- Work through one step at a time, adding your POV and prompting deeper as needed.
Uploading a long doc instead?
Try splitting it into sections or chapters and summarize each individually. Then ask the model to combine your summaries for a clean set of takeaways. It helps avoid context overload.
This method keeps the AI grounded in your goals, and turns it into a useful thinking partner, not just a summarizer.
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