The death of spreadsheets, and other tech stories you may have missed

June 25, 2025 10:00 AM

Guess what's killing those spreadsheets? Yes, it's artificial intelligence. Plus, Microsoft's new take on Copilot, USB flashdrives seem to be on their way out, and seven other things that happened in technology this past month and how they'll impact your clients and your firm.

1. AI means the death of spreadsheets

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According to tech writer Vala Afshar, AI is poised to revolutionize business reporting by surpassing traditional spreadsheets. AI tools offer real-time data analysis, predictive insights, and natural language processing, enabling users to interact with data more intuitively. They reduce manual errors and automate repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency. Unlike static spreadsheets, AI-driven platforms can handle complex datasets and provide dynamic visualizations, facilitating better decision-making. As businesses seek more agile and intelligent reporting solutions, AI's capabilities position it as the future standard, gradually rendering conventional spreadsheets obsolete. (Source: ZDNet)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: He's right and some of the accounting tools I've mentioned here will help move this to reality. The mecca of AI reporting is that instead of bringing data into spreadsheets for analysis, you simply ask your accounting system to generate the answers for you in the format you want — list, charts, graphs, etc. What's holding this back is time. AI bots need to be better trained so that they're more accurate and reliable. That time will come.

2. Google I/O 2025: From research to reality

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Google's I/O 2025 keynote last month focused heavily on artificial intelligence advancements, particularly with its Gemini AI models. The company showcased AI Mode in Google Search, which allows users to ask complex queries and receive AI-generated summaries. Google also introduced Project Astra, an AI assistant designed to handle everyday tasks like finding information in emails and making calls. Additionally, Google unveiled Android XR glasses, which provide augmented reality features, including real-time language translation and AI-powered assistance. Other highlights were Google Beam, a new AI-driven video communication platform, and Flow, an AI-powered filmmaking tool that integrates Google's advanced video and image generation models. (Source: Google)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: It's worth reading the entire post referenced above because Google has announced so many different AI-leveraged technologies that the only way to see what will impact your business is to dig into the details. Filmmakers and creators especially will be impressed. But so will small-business owners and consumers who will see this technology offering many ways to improve productivity from writing emails to getting search results faster and more accurately.

3. A new Microsoft 365 Copilot app

Microsoft has officially transitioned the Microsoft 365 app into the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, integrating AI-powered assistance across web, mobile, and Windows. This update enhances productivity by allowing users to ask questions, create content, draft documents, and build AI agents directly within the app. It also unveiled Copilot Tuning that allows users to build AI models that work with their company's specific data and processes. Copilot Chat is available at no additional cost for Microsoft 365 license holders and those with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. For personal accounts, Copilot Chat is accessible to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, but not to users without these subscriptions. (Source: Engadget)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: There's a massive change happening in how Office products are to be used and these are the initial steps towards that. Instead of launching applications within Office (and similar platforms) we'll instead be using interfaces similar to ChatGPT where users explain what they're trying to do ("write a proposal" or "do an analysis" or "create a presentation") and the right applications will be chosen for us, running behind the scenes, taking requests from users and then creating results.

4. Klarna hiring back humans after going all-in on AI

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Klarna, the Swedish fintech firm, initially replaced much of its customer service staff with AI chatbots, claiming they performed the work of 700 employees. However, due to declining service quality and customer dissatisfaction, the company is now rehiring human agents. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski acknowledged that overemphasis on cost-cutting led to poorer service and emphasized the necessity of human interaction for customer satisfaction. The new hiring strategy involves remote, contract-based roles targeting students and rural workers, raising concerns about job stability. This shift highlights the limitations of AI in handling complex, empathetic customer interactions and underscores the enduring value of human support (Source: Gizmodo)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: This is a crazy story mainly because — as I've written here previously — Klarna gleefully announced its AI customer service platform and that's replacing hundreds of employees. Now they're retreating after spending God knows how much on this system. I think we're going to see a lot of stories this year about how companies like Klarna that went "all-in" on AI, particularly with customer-facing applications, will also retreat because people like to speak with people. Ask yourself: how many times do you just hit "0" when you get automated voice answering the phone?

5. Still 'Googling it' rather than using AI chatbots

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Despite the growing popularity of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, traditional search engines remain dominant. From April 2024 to March 2025, AI chatbots accounted for only 2.96% of global search traffic, while search engines like Google and Bing attracted 34 times more visits. ChatGPT leads the chatbot market with an 86.32% share, yet it still receives 26 times fewer daily visits than Google. Emerging platforms like Grok and DeepSeek are experiencing rapid growth, but search engines have bolstered their positions by integrating AI features such as AI Overviews and Search Generative Experience. Although search engines saw a slight 0.51% year-over-year decline in total visits, they continue to be the primary tool for online information retrieval. (Source: NDTV Profit)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: It's true that AI chatbots are not yet taking over search this year. But watch as this number grows. It's only common sense: Why sort through dozens of websites and articles for an answer to a question when AI can summarize it all for you (as long as it's accurate)? I'm expecting to see these chatbots power search in the next few years. How does this impact SEO? People are still trying to figure this out and when I learn, I'll share!

6. Cybersecurity: Aware, but not acting

Personal working on a computer with a large image of a lock on the screen.

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CrowdStrike's 2025 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report reveals a significant gap between cybersecurity awareness and actual protection among small and midsized businesses. While 93% of SMBs acknowledge cybersecurity risks and 83% have plans in place, only 36% invest in new tools, and a mere 11% have adopted AI-powered defenses. Smaller businesses are particularly vulnerable; among those with fewer than 50 employees, only 47% have a security plan, and over half allocate less than 1% of their annual budget to cybersecurity. Cost concerns heavily influence decisions, with 67% prioritizing affordability over advanced threat protection. Additionally, 50% feel overwhelmed by the plethora of cybersecurity tools available, and nearly 70% rely on third-party guidance for purchasing decisions. Ransomware remains a top threat, especially for businesses with under 25 employees, where 29% reported such incidents in the past year. (Source: Business Wire)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: Spoiler alert: CrowdStrike offers tools to help address some of the concerns noted above. But they're not misleading people with these survey results. Cyber threats continue to be a disruptive and expensive part of running a business and these threats are only becoming more pervasive — and powerful — thanks to AI tools. Yes, you should be investing in a suite of cybersecurity products to protect your business. More important, you should be getting continuous training because most cyber breaches are caused by employees.

7. Epicor expands AI for supply chain industries

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Epicor has introduced new AI capabilities — Epicor Prism and Epicor Grow AI — aimed at enhancing productivity in supply chain industries. Unveiled at the Epicor Insights 2025 conference, these tools encompass over 200 use cases across functions like finance, production, and customer service. Epicor Prism offers a natural language interface, enabling employees to interact with ERP data efficiently. It facilitates quick information retrieval, decision-making, and automation of tasks, reportedly saving users significant time per query. Epicor Grow AI provides predictive analytics by integrating data from various sources, including ERP and third-party systems. It assists in forecasting demand, optimizing inventory, and recommending related products during order entry, thereby improving sales and customer experience. (Source: Business Wire)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: Epicor is very popular manufacturing and distribution ERP software that's used by both big and midsized enterprises. I attended this conference (and will write about it separately) and found their AI offerings to be exciting and consistent with what other good software companies are doing. Whether you're using Epicor or not, my advice is to find out what your software vendor is doing with AI and how it will impact your business so that you can determine its ROI. Attending a conference like this is worthwhile. (Disclaimer: Epicor is a client of my company. I have not been compensated to write this. This news information is publicly available.)

8. Talkdesk launches AI platform for utilities support

Talkdesk has launched the Utilities Experience Cloud, an AI-driven platform designed to enhance customer service for utility providers. This solution integrates contact centers with operational systems, enabling both self-service and live agent support across channels like voice, chat, and SMS. Leveraging agentic AI, it assists customers with issues such as outages, billing, and account management. The platform offers real-time integration with systems like CIS, OMS, and GIS, and includes pre-engineered workflows tailored to common utility inquiries. Virtual agents can be deployed with a single prompt, providing personalized interactions based on customer data. An intelligent outbound messaging feature allows proactive communication during events like storms or routine billing cycles. (Source: ITBrief)

Why this is important for your business: Talkdesk continues to introduce new products and services aimed at industry groups like utility providers. The features this product includes are important for those in that industry, yet have broader appeal to other industry groups as well. (Disclaimer: Talkdesk is a client of my company. I have not been compensated to write this. This news information is publicly available.)

9. Robots in the warehouse

Above view of people working in large warehouse, counting goods on moving cart between shelves with packed boxes

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OmniScanBot — an autonomous robot developed by Kennesaw State University in collaboration with RugGear U.S. LLC — has been developed to streamline warehouse inventory tracking. Designed to "simplify, speed up, and safeguard" inventory tracking in large warehouses, the technology uses RFID scanning — offering more accuracy than barcode scanning or manual counting. Equipped with cameras, LiDAR, and navigation software to autonomously map and move through warehouses, it resolves inefficiencies in traditional inventory checks, which are often inaccurate and prone to costly errors. (Source: Tech Xplore)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: Robots like these will ultimately conduct cycle counting, stock check and safety analysis of products in a warehouse, just as people are doing now. This will be a huge advantage to my clients that can't find enough hourly warehouse workers, or workers who are conscientious enough to track quantities in this manner.

10. Alternatives to USB flash drives

USB flash drives are becoming obsolete due to their limited storage capacity, slower speeds, and outdated USB-A connectors. External hard drives are among the most popular alternatives. Other alternatives like cloud storage and microSD cards offer better performance, larger capacities, and greater compatibility with current devices. They offer significantly more storage (up to 4TB and more), and SSDs in particular impress with their high transfer speed. These options provide faster data transfer rates and are more suitable for today's high-volume data needs. (Source: PCWorld)

Why this is important for your firm and clients: I carry around a handful of USB flash drives and on my list of 100 top problems of the day, they're not on it. The drives have plenty of space to copy the kinds of files I need them for and the copy/paste process usually takes a few seconds. They're inexpensive, portable and adaptable to pretty much any device. I can't imagine carrying around a heavier, more expensive external hard drive, I'm not sure how to use microSD cards and have you tried saving/downloading from the cloud? It's way more time-consuming. Bottom line (and at least for me) I'm not seeing USB flash drives become extinct anytime soon.