Missing productivity gains from AI, and other tech stories you may have missed

October 9, 2025 4:09 PM

A study found that potential productivity gains from Microsoft Copilot were cancelled out by extra verification procedures, plus Intuit added on-demand pay to QuickBooks Payroll, and your next employee may come from TikTok, plus seven other developments in technology this past month and how they'll impact your clients and your firm.

1. Study: No evidence of productivity gains from Copilot

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A U.K. study that examined Microsoft Copilot returned mixed results. Conducted by the Department for Business and Trade between October and December 2024, Copilot was tested in Word, Outlook, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and a standalone app. User satisfaction was high, with 74% of users saying they were satisfied or very satisfied and 80% finding Copilot to be very useful in daily work. An average of two hours was saved on tasks such as drafting and summarizing research. Despite high satisfaction, the study found no clear productivity gains. Tasks were easier, but extra verification and inefficiencies canceled out time savings. The findings echo broader concerns that AI tools may not yet deliver on their productivity promises. (Source: TechRepublic)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: This is not only unsurprising, but not a big concern. It makes sense. Whatever time people are spending using AI is offset by them actually verifying what AI did because no one yet trusts AI. And for good reason. But this will change over the next few years, and like all major technologies from the airplane to the telephone, people and businesses will soon not only trust the results of their AI applications but lean on them more to perform important tasks. That's when productivity will not only explode, but many jobs will be lost.

2. Intuit and Clair partner for on-demand pay

Intuit partnered with fintech company Clair to offer on-demand pay for employees using QuickBooks Payroll. This feature allows workers to access a portion of their earned wages before payday, helping reduce financial stress and improve retention. It's free for employers and has seamless integration with QuickBooks Payroll at no cost to businesses. There are no credit checks required — it's available to eligible employees without affecting their credit scores. There are flexible access options like free transfers in one to three business days and instant transfers for a flat $4.99 fee. There's automated repayments for advances from the next paycheck with no interest charged and there's mobile access where employees use the QuickBooks Workforce app to manage pay and time tracking. (Source: Stock Titan)

Why this is important for your firm and your clients: Earned waged access — some call it same-day pay — has been exploding in popularity over the past few years and I can understand why. Some surveys say that anywhere from 40-60% of hourly workers are living paycheck to paycheck. This option gives them the ability to smooth out their finances. Because these applications are installed at no cost to the employer and no change in their payroll financing (the makers usually earn their money from a percentage of the debit card merchant fee), it's a no-brainer employer incentive to add that can not only attract but retain good workers.

3. Google Chrome gets 10 new AI features

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Google Chrome rolled out one of its biggest updates ever with the integration of Gemini AI, introducing 10 powerful new features that transform the browser into a smart assistant which include a Gemini Assistant button, multitab summaries, AI-powered omnibox search, the ability to recall past pages, and more. The company believes that this upgrade positions Chrome not just as a browser, but as a personalized AI-powered tool for productivity, research, and safer browsing. (Source: Jagran Josh)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: Slowly but surely, AI features that will increase both your and your team's productivity keep rolling out. Like so many other "features" that software companies release, many of these may fly under the radar, yet taking the time to learn (or be trained on them) can have a big impact on the way your company works.

4. Copilot users get new AI agent for Teams

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Microsoft introduced a new AI agent called Facilitator for Teams, SharePoint, and Viva Engage, marking a shift from personal assistants to collaborative AI teammates. A few of the highlights include context-aware collaboration, active meeting participation and project management integration. (Source: UC Today)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: Same as above. Many of my clients use Teams, yet few truly take advantage of all its capabilities. These new features offer significant ways to increase productivity.

5. Employers bet on TikTok for hiring

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HR teams are increasingly turning to TikTok as a recruitment marketing tool to attract younger talent, especially Gen Z. Companies are using TikTok to showcase real employee experiences, workplace culture, and day-in-the-life content to build trust and relatability. With Gen Z spending significant time on TikTok, HR leaders see it as a prime platform to meet candidates where they are. According to a recent survey from job platform Handshake, 73% of college graduates said they would be "more likely to apply for a job after seeing content such as videos or messages from an employer." Brands like Duolingo and Ryanair have gained traction by blending humor with job-related content, making their companies more appealing. HR professionals must balance creativity with compliance, ensuring content aligns with company values and legal standards. (Source: HR Brew)

Why this is important for your small business: Now that TikTok appears to have a continued future here in the U.S., it's worth the time for smaller employers to seriously consider using this platform as a recruiting tool, given that the platform's demographic skews younger.

6. Microsoft will force install Copilot AI app

Starting this month, Microsoft will automatically install the Copilot AI app on Windows devices that have desktop versions of Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This rollout will affect personal users globally, except those in the European Economic Area. Personal users cannot opt out of the installation — only system administrators in organizations can disable the automatic install via the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center. (Source: Tom's Hardware)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: Don't be surprised when this forced install happens. And if any of your users are running personal versions of Windows they're not going to have any choice. According to the article Microsoft is heavily investing in AI and looking to increase adoption rates, but critics argue this move may feel like forced bloatware for users who don't want or use AI tools.

7. Google's new protocol lets AI agents complete purchases

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Google — alongside 60-plus major partners (like PayPal, Mastercard, Coinbase, and Salesforce) — launched AP2, an open-source protocol that allows AI agents to complete purchases on behalf of users without requiring real-time human approval. The system is structured to support various payment methods and mandates cryptographically signed digital contracts that prove a user authorized a purchase — a revolutionary advancement for ecommerce. (Source: VentureBeat)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: What's changed? According to the article, current AI agents can browse and compare products but can't finalize transactions without manual user input. AP2 introduces a secure, standardized way for agents to authenticate user intent, validate transactions, and ensure accountability if something goes wrong. This won't be happen overnight, but already big tech is setting the stage for agents to take over a company's payment processing which — once we become comfortable with that process — can free up the time (and lower overhead cost) related to the people who are currently performing this function.

8. YouTube announces a range of updates

YouTube dropped a massive update at its MadeOn YouTube 2025 event — and it's all about supercharging creativity with AI. New AI-powered editing tools and dynamic advertising were among the features debuted. "Edit with AI" allows users to create polished videos by intelligently arranging the best visual content into videos that can be enhanced with music and voiceovers. A Speech-to-Song remixing tool can take a brief audio clip of someone speaking and transform it into a "catchy soundtrack," per YouTube. Dynamic Sponsorship Slots allows creators can insert, swap, or resell branded segments in videos. For creators with sponsorships, sponsor tags can be used in designated videos. When the product is mentioned, the sponsor tag will light up the product in the video. Creators can then resell the slot to multiple brands in different markets, "transforming videos into living assets," YouTube said about the dynamic ads feature. (Source: Social Media Today)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: My company does a lot of YouTube promotion for our videos and I've already forwarded this news to the person running my campaigns.

9. How people are using ChatGPT

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Photographer: Jakub Porzycki/Nur

OpenAI shared the results from the latest study on how people are using ChatGPT, based on a massive analysis of 1.5 million conversations. Key data points include that the gender gaps are shrinking: By mid-2025, users with feminine names rose from 37% to 52%, reflecting broader demographic reach. Usage in low-income countries is growing four times faster than in high-income ones, showing ChatGPT's expanding accessibility. This is the largest consumer AI usage study ever released, and it paints a picture of ChatGPT as a tool that's not just useful but increasingly central to how people work, learn, and live. (Source: OpenAI)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: OpenAI categorized usage into three main types: Asking (49%): Seeking advice, information, or guidance — ChatGPT as a smart advisor. Doing (40%): Task completion like writing, planning, or coding — especially for work. Expressing (11%): Personal reflection, creativity, and play. If you're adopting chatbots like ChatGPT into your business you should be leaning into this functionality for the best results.

10. OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Projects to free users

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OpenAI made its Projects feature available to free users of ChatGPT. Projects act like folders for organizing chats by topic, but it also allows custom instructions for how ChatGPT responds and limits on what files or info it can access. This update also includes an increase on the number of files that can be uploaded – up to five for free users; 25 for Plus subscribers; and 40 for Pro subscribers. All users can now customize project icons and colors. This move encourages free users to upgrade by giving them a taste of advanced tools — with limits. Projects are now available on the web and Android app, with iOS support coming soon. (Source: Engadget)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: I use ChatGPT Projects regularly with mixed results. Sometimes the interface is confusing. But most of the time it serves as a good place to keep all communications, chats, notes, etc. in one place for a team to share. Now that it's being made available at no charge for some users, I expect to see its usage grow. If your firm or clients are using ChatGPT, this is a good time for your teams to test out the use of Projects and whether or not it's right for your culture.