Pollinger’s Productivity : April 2025
| Time To Forget Canva? ChatGPT’s New Image Feature is Revolutionary |
| OpenAI has rolled out a hugely impressive new image feature in ChatGPT. You can now generate and edit images directly in the app or on desktop using simple prompts. Whether it’s creating visuals from scratch or uploading and modifying an existing photo, ChatGPT can now handle a wide range of visual tasks – you can even upload photos of people and objects and add them to photos and designs. |
| Features include generating original photos, images and artwork, improving resolution, editing or removing backgrounds, creating transparent PNGs, and reworking photos into new styles or formats. |
| Insights: This is, without doubt, the most mind-blowing and disruptive AI feature I’ve used since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. Graphic designers, photographers and tools like Canva could all be impacted. The ability to design top quality social media graphics, logos, or product photos just by describing what you need is a massive leap forward. I’ve already used it to sharpen low-res headshots, generate background-free images, and experiment with brand visuals. |
| Tip: For best results refine your results step by step using additional prompts. |
| For small businesses, content creators, and marketers, this tool removes the barriers of cost, complexity, and time usually associated with design. Not yet using this feature? You’re missing out on a hugely powerful creative tool. |
| Meta Introduces AI-Powered Features For Facebook and Instagram Ads |
| Meta has rolled out new AI-driven tools designed to enhance advertising on Facebook and Instagram. These features include the ability to add brand elements such as logos, fonts, and colours to ads, as well as a ‘Chat with leads from instant form’ option for lead generation campaigns. Additionally, a ‘Brand Highlights’ feature has been introduced to improve ad campaigns. |
| Insights: The integration of AI into advertising tools offers businesses more efficient and personalised ways to reach their target audiences. I recommend you explore these new features to optimise your ad campaigns. |
| Gemini Adds Audio Overviews – They’re Really Good |
| Google has launched a new Audio Overviews feature in Gemini, enabling users to hear spoken summaries. This makes learning and digesting information more accessible, especially when multitasking or away from a screen. |
| On desktop, Audio Overviews can be combined with the Deep Research feature – so you can ask Gemini to explore a topic in depth and then listen to a structured summary. However, if you want an audio summary of a file (such as a PDF or document), you’ll need to use the Gemini mobile app. |
| Insights: This is a clever addition that plays into how we increasingly consume content – on the move and hands-free. I’ve already found it useful for summarising news articles when out and about. For business owners and marketers, it’s a time-saver and a great way to keep up with industry news and trends without having to read everything. Expect audio-first features like this to become more mainstream as AI gets more embedded into our daily workflows. |
| Google Unveils Gemini 2.5: A Leap Forward In AI Reasoning AND It’s Free |
| Initially available to subscribers of the Gemini Advanced plan, Google has now made Gemini 2.5 accessible to all users at no cost. It’s Gemini’s most advanced AI model to date, emphasising enhanced reasoning capabilities. This “thinking model” is designed to process tasks step-by-step before delivering responses, leading to improved accuracy and performance across various benchmarks. |
| Insights: The release of Gemini 2.5 underscores the rapid evolution of AI models towards more sophisticated reasoning abilities. For businesses and developers, this means access to more reliable and nuanced AI tools that can handle complex tasks with greater efficiency. |
| Meta AI Now Available on WhatsApp in the UK |
| As of last week, Meta AI is now live in the UK on WhatsApp, making it easier to search, fact-check, and get information directly within your chats. You can now use Meta AI to answer questions, summarise information, and more – without leaving WhatsApp. This follows the recent launch of Meta AI in Facebook Messenger and Instagram’s Direct Messages. |
| Top Tip: If you receive a suspicious message or come across a potentially fake news post, ask Meta AI whether it’s a scam, phishing attempt or to fact-check the content. It’s a powerful but easy way to avoid being scammed and to avoid misinformation. |
| Insights: This is an important step towards integrating AI tools into our everyday conversations. It’s useful for both personal and business use, offering quick, reliable answers without switching apps. Expect to see more AI-enhanced features on Facebook and Instagram soon. |
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