My feed is currently a crime scene of blokes in Patagonia vests shouting about "autonomous agents" and "tenfold efficiency." It sounds brilliant when someone is shouting it at a camera in a rented office. But let's be honest, most of this stuff is just expensive faffing that does nothing for your bottom line.
Running a business is hard enough without having to learn a new programming language every Tuesday. You need tools that answer the phone, book the jobs, and keep the lights on. You don't need a robot that hallucinatingly tries to write Shakespeare while your actual customers are waiting on a quote.
Here is the "translation service" for the latest AI news this week. I’ve looked at the big announcements so you don't have to.
Microsoft Build: Copilot and the "Agent" Obsession
Microsoft just finished their big Build conference. The headline is that they are pushing "autonomous agents" into everything. These are essentially bits of software that are supposed to "think" and execute multi-step tasks without you breathing down their neck.
What happened: Microsoft is making it easier for techies to build bots that can manage your email, schedule meetings, and update your spreadsheets.
Should you care? Not yet. Unless you have a full-time developer on staff, setting these up will cost you more in time than they will ever save. For most small business owners, a well-configured The Visionary System will do more for your sanity than a half-baked Microsoft bot ever will.
Planswift and AI "Takeoffs"
If you are in the trades (specifically estimation), this one actually matters. Planswift released their "Takeoff Boost" which uses AI to automate the measurement of plans.
What happened: The software can now "see" a digital blueprint and calculate areas and counts automatically.
Should you care? Yes, if you spend your Sunday nights measuring drawings. This is a rare example of AI doing a "boring" job that a human usually hates. It’s not about being clever; it’s about getting your weekend back.
The Never-ending Model Race
Every day this week, a new model has dropped. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are all in a scrap to see who has the "smartest" brain. It’s reached the point where the differences are so small that only the nerds notice.
What happened: More "GPT-4.5" or "Gemini" updates that are 2% faster or 3% cheaper.
Should you care? Not a bit. Use whatever tool is already integrated into your CRM or your daily workflow. Switching your entire tech stack because a new bot is slightly better at writing haikus is a mug's game. If your current tech stack is working, stay put. Do the maths: the time spent migrating tools is time you aren't billing.
AI Contract Review: Harvey and the Multi-step Shift
The legal AI tool "Harvey" is moving from simple chat prompts to "agents" that can review an entire contract for specific risks without being prompted at every step.
What happened: AI is getting better at reading long, boring documents and finding the "gotchas."
Should you care? If you are a consultant or a specialist firm that handles a lot of paperwork, keep an eye on this. For the average plumber or dentist? It’s complete overkill. Stick to a proper solicitor for the big stuff and use a simple template for the small stuff.
Why Your Tech Stack is Currently a Liability
The biggest problem I see when I do a Deep Dive consulting session isn't that people lack AI. It's that they have too much of it.
Most owners are paying for five different subscriptions that don't talk to each other. They have a "smart" chatbot on the website that scares customers away, and a "smart" scheduling tool that lets people book times when the owner is actually at the pub.
- Stop buying "AI" for the sake of AI. It’s just software with a fancy name.
- Focus on the friction. If your receptionist is wasting three hours a day data-entering leads, fix that.
- Pick up the phone. No bot is as good as a human who actually knows his trade.
We often overcomplicate things because we feel like we should be doing something sophisticated. Properly sorted automation is usually quite simple. It's a text that goes out when you miss a call. It's an invoice that sends itself. It’s a calendar that actually knows when you are busy.
If you want to see what a "No Bullsh*t" approach to tech looks like, come join our free Facebook group. We talk about what works in the trenches, not what looks good in a Silicon Valley slide deck.
Here's what you should actually do about this: Stop reading AI news and go call three customers who haven't heard from you in six months.
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**If you want to talk this through with people who are actually doing it, come join us in Business Without the Bullsh*t on Facebook.** No gurus, no fluff, just real conversations with other small business owners working it out.
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About Steven Tann: Steven is "The Bloke Who Fixes Your Tech Stack." With over 10 years in the trenches helping more than 7,000 small and medium businesses, he cuts through the guru fluff and builds AI, marketing and automation systems that actually work for real business owners. No jargon. No upsells. Just sorted. Find out more at steventann.com.