Pollinger’s Productivity : October 2025
| Breaking News: OpenAI Unveils Sora 2 |
| Overnight, OpenAI has launched Sora 2, its next-generation text-to-video + audio model, along with a new social app simply called Sora. Unlike its predecessor, Sora 2 supports synchronised speech, sound effects, and ambient audio, enabling far more immersive and realistic video creations. Users can trigger “cameo” videos by verifying their likeness (a one-time capture) enabling themselves to be dropped into AI-generated scenes. The app is launching first on iOS in the U.S. and Canada (invitation-only for now). OpenAI calls Sora 2 “more physically accurate, realistic, and controllable”. |
| Insights: This feels like OpenAI’s video equivalent of when ChatGPT blew past expectations for generative AI. Sora 2 has the potential to be a watershed moment in generative video. The “cameo” approach is clever: by making users co-owners of generated likenesses, OpenAI is trying to avoid backlash over misuse of deepfakes but should also be fun for users too. |
| LinkedIn Plans To Use Your Data For AI Training |
| LinkedIn announced it will use UK and EU user data to train its AI systems. This includes profile details, posts, articles, and group activity. While users can opt out, the default position is automatic sharing of your data with LinkedIn. It’s not obvious how to opt out and if you remain opted in, LinkedIn won’t cite your content as the source. |
| Insights: Transparency is key here. It’s a shame LinkedIn won’t credit your content, as that could enhance thought leadership. Now is a good opportunity to review your LinkedIn profile for outdated or private information. |
| Microsoft Copilot’s New “Facilitator” in Teams |
| Microsoft added a feature in Teams called Facilitator, designed to manage agendas, summarise discussions, and assign actions during meetings. It acts like an AI meeting assistant, keeping everyone on track. |
| Insights: This could save time and sharpen focus in meetings. One tip is to try it in smaller team sessions first, where you’ll notice if it really makes discussions more efficient. |
| ChatGPT “Pulse” Keeps You Updated Automatically |
| OpenAI has started testing ‘Pulse’, a feature that delivers regular AI-generated updates tailored to your work. Pulse is a new mode currently in preview for Pro users on mobile that flips the usual “you ask, it answers” model. Instead, it proactively runs “overnight research” on your behalf, then delivers a curated set of personalised updates each morning. These updates appear as visual cards (you can scan quickly or tap to expand) covering things like: follow-ups on past topics you’ve discussed, reminders or agendas for upcoming meetings, ideas aligned with your interests, or even local insights relevant to your calendar. So, instead of waiting for your prompt, Pulse aims to anticipate what would be useful to you. |
| Insights: This is a big step towards proactive AI. Imagine AI prompting you with market trends or industry news before you’ve even thought to ask? It’ll be particularly interesting to see how useful Pulse is for keeping up with AI and social media changes without endless searching, but whatever the subject, Pulse will be able to keep you updated. |
| Shop Directly in ChatGPT |
| OpenAI recently launched ‘Buy it in ChatGPT’, which allows users to purchase products without leaving the app using Instant Checkout, built with Stripe. It’s rolling out in the US first, with brands like Shopify stores, Klarna, and others integrating directly so you can discover and buy items as part of your chat. The aim is to blend conversational search with e-commerce, turning ChatGPT into more than a productivity or research tool – it becomes a shopping assistant too. |
| Insights: This feels like a natural next step in AI’s evolution — moving from “what should I buy?” to “I’ve bought it” all within one chat. It’s a massive opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs to sell directly through AI interfaces. It highlights how fast we’re moving towards AI as an all-in-one platform, not just for ideas and information but for action. When this arrives in the UK, it will be interesting to see how quickly people adopt shopping via AI and how it might rival established marketplaces like Amazon. |
| New ChatGPT Connectors: Canva, Outlook and Teams |
| Following last month’s news that ‘Connectors’ had been rolled out in the UK for ChatGPT users, it’s good to see further expansion this month with Canva, Outlook and Teams now integrated. These integrations work across Chat, Deep Research, and Agent Mode, opening up powerful new ways to work. |
| Canva: You can now brainstorm content ideas in ChatGPT and send them straight into Canva for design. Think social media posts, presentations, or videos — the workflow is now seamless. Outlook Calendar: Pull in your upcoming meetings, check availability, and even let Agent Mode suggest prep notes or agendas. Outlook Email: Deep Research can sift through inbox threads, summarise conversations, and highlight next actions. Teams: ChatGPT can help recap conversations and create action lists from meeting notes. |
| Insights: These connectors make ChatGPT feel less like a standalone tool and more like part of your daily workspace. What seems most exciting is the potential of Agent Mode. Imagine ChatGPT pulling a brief from your email, slotting a prep session into your Outlook Calendar, and then pushing a first draft presentation into Canva, all without you switching apps. This is where the time-saving potential of AI really shows up. |
| You can enable these connectors by navigating to your profile picture in ChatGPT, selecting Settings, and then choosing the Connectors option. From there, you can integrate with your services and start using these powerful new features. |
| Microsoft Copilot Gets Agent Mode |
| Microsoft announced on Monday that it is rolling out Agent Mode in Microsoft 365 Copilot. It is designed to handle more complex, multi-step workflows in apps like Word and Excel. Instead of just responding to a single request, Copilot can now act more like a collaborator, managing tasks that require several steps or dependencies. For example, you could ask it to analyse a dataset, create charts, draft a report, and then format it; all in one go. |
| Insights: This development pushes Copilot beyond being a simple assistant and closer to a team member. For businesses, it means fewer manual hand-offs and more streamlined processes inside Office apps. This is another sign of how AI is moving from answering questions to genuinely managing workflows. |
| Practical Pointer |
| How To Use Copilot’s New Scheduled Prompts With Email Notifications |
| A really useful update to Microsoft 365 Copilot now lets you schedule prompts and receive an email notification once the task is complete. |
| Here’s how it works: You enter your prompt in the Work tab of Copilot (this is important – it won’t run otherwise). For example, Copilot was asked to pull together the latest AI news covering new features in Copilot and ChatGPT, plus some UK case studies. Once it’s run successfully, hover over your prompt and you’ll see a clock icon that allows you to schedule it. |
| You can set the date, time, and frequency (daily, weekdays only, etc.), though at present the maximum run is 15 times before you need to re-set it. The key new feature is the email notification tick-box. Once enabled, you’ll get an email confirming when your scheduled task has run, making it much easier to stay on top of regular jobs like daily reports, summaries, or industry updates. |
| Insights: This small but powerful feature means Copilot is edging closer to being a true daily assistant, not just a reactive tool. While you wait for ChatGPT’s Pulse to be rolled out (see above) you can use Copilot’s Scheduled Prompts. Perhaps it’s not quite so proactive as Pulse but it’s still handy. There’s real value for business people being able to set up recurring tasks like industry news updates and weekly social media content ideas, all with the reassurance of an email when they’re ready. |
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