AI Platforms Redraw the Business Map: Own Your Customers, Data, and Workflows

4 little bits of Tech, that you might find interesting…

Happy Tuesday 😀. Welcome to issue 19 of The Tech Stop.

OpenAI challenges e-commerce, IBM's efficient AI model, AI referrals' high conversion, and MS's AI in Office!

1. OpenAI is moving into e-commerce with direct in-chat purchases. This challenges Google’s search ad dominance and Amazon’s shopping grip, and signals a major shift in consumer discovery, search, and transaction flows. More and More…

   POV: Shift budget from Google ads to AI shopping channels and secure partnerships to keep your products visible.

2. IBM’s new Granite 4.0 open-source AI model is smaller, cheaper, and more efficient than larger rivals—running on less hardware. It’s also governance-certified and enterprise-ready. More.

   POV: Test Granite in pilot projects now to see if it can replace expensive proprietary AI while meeting compliance and security needs.

3. AI referrals are emerging as a new, high-conversion traffic channel. Visitors sent by AI outperform paid and organic search. Success depends on being recognised as a trusted, authoritative source. More and More...

   POV: Brands not optimised for AI risk invisibility. Invest in making sites the most authoritative and useful resources in their category.

4. Microsoft has introduced “Agent Mode” in Word and Excel (a “vibe working” paradigm) that lets users generate, refine, and validate documents or spreadsheets via prompts—bringing advanced AI assistance directly into core productivity tools. More.

   POV: Both workflow and data now run through Microsoft’s AI layer, raising lock-in, cost, and compliance risks. Enforce data rights and keep an exit plan.

And just for fun… The rabbit hole that is the English language.

That’s all for now, see you in seven days! 🥳

find out more by emailing techstop@ctogap.uk