Business Tech News: Is Microsoft Using Your Office Docs To Train Its AI Applications?

(This column originally appeared in Forbes)

Here are five things in tech news that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?

1 – Tech News: No, Microsoft isn't using your Office docs to train its AI.

Users have posted their concerns that Microsoft has been using their private data from Word and Excel documents to train its AI models. Microsoft has officially denied these claims, stating that the Connected Experiences feature in Microsoft 365 apps does not use customer data for training AI. Instead, it enables functionalities like co-authoring documents and checking spelling. Microsoft has emphasized that the settings in question are meant for enabling internet-based features and not for AI training. (Source: The Verge)

Why this is important for your business:

Do you believe Microsoft? Do you trust big tech? I think you’d be naïve if you did. But that’s really no matter. When I speak about AI to industry groups I often get asked about whether our data is secure and confidential and even though the big tech companies promise that it is I’m never completely sure. But this is a risk/reward exercise. Are you willing to risk the security/confidentiality of your data in order to reap the rewards of the AI automation that products like Copilot and Google Gemini can provide? To me, it’s worth the risk. I’m not sure who really cares about my little, puny, microscopic company’s data so I’m willing to let the big tech companies have in return for more productivity.

2 – Tech News: 2025 will be a bad year for remote work.

In Mike Elgan’s opinion piece, he asserts that the work-from-home phase is “under threat” in the near future. Policy changes will be in effect under the new leadership as Elon Musk stated his intention to roll back remote policies for federal employees. The potential fallout includes employee pushback resulting in resignations. As in-office mandates have been emerging in the private sector – as indicated in the 2024 CEO Outlook survey – productivity, hiring, and salaries are being impacted. Despite data that has shown remote work improves employee productivity, this push toward eliminating that model is setting the stage for “a rough 2025” for workers who have been accustomed to flexibility. (Source: Computerworld)

Why this is important for your business:

It’s not a “bad year.” It’s just an adjustment to reality. Your employees would have killed for two days a week working from home before the pandemic, especially if those two days fell on a Monday and Friday like most companies allow. The technology is great but there’s nothing that’s going to replace human interaction. Younger people need mentorship. All people socialization. Companies need innovation. You’re not going this on Zoom or Teams. People need to come into the office for at least a portion of the week and I have few clients that would disagree with that point of view.

3 – Tech News: MasterCard says the checkout revolution will be optimized... by AI.

Mastercard is leveraging artificial intelligence to revolutionize the checkout process. Executives at the company shared the key benefits like enhanced approval rates where AI can augment authorization messages with real-time data, reducing errors and optimizing transaction routing. Customer experience will be transformed with a faster and more efficient checkout process, recommendations for payment options, and fewer lost sales due to failed transactions. “This is the holy grail of optimization,” Sherri Haymond, co-president, global partnerships at Mastercard, said. (Source: PYMNTS)

Why is important for your business:

I would expect nothing less? Great financial services companies like MasterCard will not only be leaning heavily on AI to improve customer experience by making payment and check out more seamless, but they’ll also be expanding its use to minimize fraud which should – theoretically at least – minimize our ongoing costs.

4 – Tech News: Professional robot sales grow 30%.

Sales of professional service robots grew by 30 percent worldwide in 2023. The primary cause for the increase was labor shortages, particularly in the transpiration and logistics sectors. Increasing adoption of robotic technologies were found across various industries – healthcare had the second highest adoption rate after logistics. Hospitality and agriculture were also noted. The Asia-Pacific region led the market with 162,284 units sold, followed by Europe and the Americas. (Source: IoT World Today)

Why this is important for your business:

Make no mistake- robots are already in the workplace and they’ll be proliferating over the next few years as the cost gets lower and the AI brains behind their actions gets smarter and smarter. This is a good thing. Robots on the manufacturing floor can already carry packages, sort products, check for safety issues and enhance security. A growing number of construction firms are deploying robots to monitor, move materials and even put up drywall. Manual jobs requiring human labor will be replaced by these machines very, very soon.

5 – Tech News: Accounts payable takes the high road to AI-powered growth engine.

Accounts payable (AP) departments are leveraging AI-powered solutions to transform their operations and drive business growth. Some of the key benefits include legacy inefficiencies as many AP teams still rely on outdated processes, such as paper invoices and checks. AI and automation are helping AP departments overcome these legacy issues by streamlining workflows, reducing errors, and improving efficiency. Automating AP processes can significantly reduce the costs of using paper checks and fraud detection is strengthened. Businesses are encouraged to adopt a step-by-step approach to modernization to improve overall efficiency. (Source: PYMNTS)

Why this is important for your business:

If you’re running a business where you process more than 50 accounts payable invoices a week then I strongly recommend looking into products like Bill, Ramp and AvidExchange. These AP automation platforms can receive suppliers invoices through email and other means, scan them and input with minimal errors into your accounting system for approval and payment. They are faster and more accurate than humans. They save time and cut overhead. My experience is that they’re a pain in the neck to setup but once done the benefits are tremendous.