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Great North Business Consulting

Small business AI briefing

AI, explained for your business.

We pick a small number of practical stories — customer service, marketing, scheduling, email, documents, websites and everyday productivity — and explain what they mean for a small business. Reporting and our interpretation are kept separate, and the action rating is our own editorial view.

Hand-picked and checked by us. Summaries are our own words; follow the link for the full story. Last reviewed .

5 items shown

  • Google (The Keyword blog)

    Worth watchingour assessment

    New Gemini tools for small business owners (opens the original source in a new tab)

    What was reported

    Google announced a business area inside the Gemini app that brings together branding, finance and customer-insight tasks. It can connect to Google Business Profile, Google Ads and Workspace, plus apps such as Shopify, Wix, Xero, Canva and Dropbox. Owners can upload a brand kit so generated images stay on-style, and turn spreadsheets and receipts into charts. Google says the rollout is gradual and global.

    Our view: what this means for a small business

    If you already use Google's tools, some marketing and finance tasks may become easier inside software you have. Connecting business apps to an AI assistant also means deciding what it's allowed to see.

    May help: Owners already using Google Business Profile, Workspace or the connected apps.

    Practical action: When it appears in your account, try it on one low-stakes task — like a seasonal promo image — before connecting your finance or customer data.

    MarketingProductivityDocumentsOriginal source

  • Zensurance press release (GlobeNewswire, via BNN Bloomberg)

    Low priorityour assessment

    Most Canadian Small Businesses Haven't Felt AI's Impact, Survey Shows (opens the original source in a new tab)

    What was reported

    An online survey of 1,000 self-employed Canadians, run for small-business insurer Zensurance in June 2026, found that about a third felt AI had little or no effect on their business and over a quarter weren't sure how it applied to them. A minority reported clear productivity gains or savings, and relatively few planned to invest in AI this year.

    Our view: what this means for a small business

    If AI hasn't changed much for you yet, you're in the majority. The businesses getting value tend to start with one specific, repetitive task rather than a general goal of “using AI”.

    May help: Owners wondering whether they're falling behind.

    Practical action: No urgent action. If you want to start, choose one repetitive task you'd happily hand off and test a tool on that alone.

    ProductivitySkills and trainingOriginal source

  • Future Skills Centre

    Worth watchingour assessment

    Bridging the AI Skills Gap in Small and Medium-Sized Organizations in Canada (opens the original source in a new tab)

    Project page; the underlying report is dated September 2025.

    What was reported

    Research from the Diversity Institute and Magnet at Toronto Metropolitan University, published through the Future Skills Centre, finds that skills — not cost — are a major barrier to AI adoption in Canadian SMEs. Few small firms report access to formal AI training, and many staff who use AI at work receive little guidance. The authors recommend practical, workplace-based training and clear internal policies.

    Our view: what this means for a small business

    The gap is less about buying tools and more about people knowing how to use them well and safely. Short, practical training on your own tasks tends to pay off more than another subscription.

    May help: Owners and team leads with staff already experimenting with AI.

    Practical action: Find out which AI tools your team already uses, then agree on a few simple ground rules before adding anything new.

    Skills and trainingOriginal source

  • Microsoft 365 Blog

    Act nowour assessment

    Introducing Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot: The new standard for small business (opens the original source in a new tab)

    What was reported

    Microsoft introduced small-business versions of its Business Standard and Business Premium plans with Copilot built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, rather than sold as a separate add-on. The announcement also describes connectors to business apps and security controls that limit what Copilot can access.

    Our view: what this means for a small business

    If your email and documents run on Microsoft 365, an AI assistant may already be part of — or easily added to — what you pay for. That's worth knowing before buying a separate AI tool that does similar things.

    May help: Businesses on Microsoft 365 Business plans, especially teams that live in Outlook.

    Practical action: Ask your Microsoft provider which plan you're on and whether Copilot is included, then try it on one routine job such as summarising long email threads.

    EmailDocumentsProductivityOriginal source

  • Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

    Act nowour assessment

    Canadian privacy regulators launch principles for responsible development and use of generative AI (opens the original source in a new tab)

    Background reading — still the main joint guidance from Canada's privacy regulators.

    What was reported

    Federal, provincial and territorial privacy regulators jointly set out principles for organisations developing or using generative AI. They include having a proper legal basis and meaningful consent for personal information, being open about how it's used, building safeguards, and limiting what personal or confidential information is shared with AI tools.

    Our view: what this means for a small business

    Pasting customer details into a public AI tool is a privacy decision, not just a productivity shortcut. Canadian privacy law applies to how you use AI with customer information.

    May help: Any business handling customer names, contact details, health, financial or other personal information.

    Practical action: Make a simple rule today: no customer personal information goes into AI tools unless the tool and the use have been checked.

    PrivacyCustomer serviceOriginal source

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