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Byte-sized AI: Watching Paint Dry
I’m back for another Byte-sized AI issue, and as promised here are my three things: 😁
- Something that you can do to improve how you work
- Something techy from the news
- Something that made me laugh
📰 The one item of news:
Small Language Models
Every time I think I’ve got a handle on what AI can do for SMEs, the rug gets pulled from under me. And honestly? I love it.
The latest thing to shift my thinking is the rise of Small Language Models – SLMs, since we apparently need another acronym. For the past couple of years, the assumption has been that bigger is better: the largest, most powerful models (GPT, Claude, Gemini) are the ones worth paying attention to. That assumption is now being seriously questioned, and the implications for smaller businesses are – I think – genuinely exciting.
Here’s the bit that caught my attention: these smaller, more focused models can be trained on your data and run on your own hardware. No subscription ticking away in the background, no data leaving your building, no dependency on a US tech giant staying friendly with your budget. You own it.
What does that look like in practice? Imagine a manufacturer with a complex product catalogue. Instead of customers waiting for Derek to come back from lunch to answer a technical query, they’ve got a model trained on their own specs, lead times and compatibility data – available instantly, accurate to their actual products, and running entirely on their own kit. Their customers get faster answers, their sales team gets breathing room, and nothing sensitive goes anywhere it shouldn’t.
So, how could you use something like that in your business?
😂 The one thing that made me laugh:
AI Confidential
This week I’m going to break my own rules, because this didn’t make me laugh – but I think you should know about it anyway. AI Confidential with Hannah Fry is a BBC iPlayer series that tackles the stuff that doesn’t get enough airtime in the AI conversation – ethics, accountability, morality, behaviour. Who’s responsible when AI gets it wrong? How do we build systems we can actually trust? It’s thoughtful, accessible, and well worth an hour of your time.
I should declare an interest: I would happily watch eight episodes of Watching Paint Dry with Hannah Fry. So make of my recommendation what you will.
💡 The one thing you can do next week:
Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder
Following neatly on from the AI News section – if the idea of a manufacturer giving customers instant, accurate answers from their own product data sounds appealing, here’s some good news: if you’re on a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, you’ve already got the tools to build something very close to that.
Microsoft’s Copilot Agent Builder lets you create your own focused AI agent – trained on documents, data and information you choose – without writing a single line of code. You point it at your source material (product catalogues, spec sheets, FAQs, whatever’s relevant), give it some instructions about how you want it to behave, and publish it for your team or your customers to use.
For our fictional manufacturer, that might look something like this:
- Upload your product catalogue, lead time data and compatibility guides
- Set the agent up to answer customer queries accurately, in your tone of voice
- Publish it to your website, your Teams environment, or both
It won’t know anything outside what you’ve given it – which sounds like a limitation but is actually the point. It won’t guess. It won’t hallucinate specs it doesn’t have. It’ll just answer what it knows, accurately.
You’ll need a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence to access Agent Builder. If you’re not sure whether you’re on the right plan – or you’d like a hand setting something like this up – give us a shout.
If you are interested to find out how AI, automation and all things clever can help your organisation why not take a look at Future Workplace, our super special IT consultancy service that can supercharge productivity, business efficiency and so much more.
Subscribe to Byte-sized AI
Check out past Byte-sized AI issues:
- Byte-sized AI: Watching Paint DryThe rise of Small Language Models, have you watched AI Confidential and build you own Microsoft Copilot Agent.
- Byte-sized AI: Standing-on-towelCyberScotland Week, standing-on-towel and Authenticator.
- Byte-sized AI: Bubble, bubbleIs the AI bubble about to burst? Using Copilot in Microsoft Outlook. Ethics and morals, the big difference answered.
- Byte-sized AI: Did you miss me? I bet you did!AI adoption in UK SMEs, how amazing House is and the amazing ever evolving Microsoft Copilot.
- Byte-sized AI: AI overviews and using personasAI in search is here, some of it great, some not! 😂 Plus, make your AI tools ten times better.
- Byte-sized AI: Numbers tell a storyDevelop your team for AI, Copilot for Notebook and pining for the fjords!
- Byte-sized AI: Lost in an open plan area!Find out what Nick has been up to at the Kent and Medway Business Summit and have you tried triple promoting.
- Byte-sized AI: AI actFind out how AI is being kept in check, decide if AI is funny, and have you started going loopy!
- Byte-sized AI: AI opportunities£7 million, belly laughs and AI distilled! What more can you want? Byte-sized AI from the mind of Nick Ellis!
- Byte-sized AI: Are you thinking deeper?I’m back for another Byte-sized AI issue, and as promised here are my three things. 😁
- Byte-sized AI: Its a little bit of snow!This week we have seen the government get behind AI in a big way. This was inevitable whoever was in power, I think. There are a few obvious challenges here:
- Byte-sized AI: Say hello to ClaudeFor the more technical parts of my job, I use an AI called Claude, which was created by Anthropic.
- Byte-sized AI: Granny is here to make it all better!O2 have created an AI that sounds like your gran! The obvious question is “why?”. Firstly, it doesn’t sound like your gran specifically, that would be weird; it’s a generic gran called Daisy, complete with confusion about technology and a tendency to talk about her cat too much. Still doesn’t answer why though.
- Byte-sized AI: A llama with AI and an admission!Meta are doing something very interesting. They have a set of AI models collectively called “Llama” which anyone can download and use in their products for free.
- Byte-sized AI: Something special is happening in the UK!The UK is doing something a bit special. The global average for businesses adopting AI to some extent is around 13%.
- Byte-sized AI: Up, up and… back down! 😕Every so often in the world of tech something happens that is so astonishing, so utterly gob-smacking that we should all just stop and applaud.
- Byte-sized AI: An extra brain in the room!I’m back for another Byte-sized AI issue, and as promised here are my three things! 😁
- Byte-sized AI: The machines have taken over SainsburysWelcome to the very first issue of my new technology newsletter Byte-sized AI. Each issue I will give you three things:Something techy from the news Something that made me laugh Something that you can do to improve how you work
- Byte-sized AI: Be the first to hear from NickWant to get the latest news about technology and AI, then there is only one person you need to hear from and that’s me!!
Nick Ellis
AI and Innovation Lead
Nick Ellis is the AI and Innovation Lead at Select Technology. He is the driving force behind our Future Workplace service, which enables SMEs across all industries to use AI and automation to enhance business operations
Throughout his career he has been instrumental in helping organisations across London and the South East, to unlock the power of AI and automation to build smarter workflows that remove manual administration and connect systems. He has helped organisations replace inefficient tools with simplified processes, freeing up teams to focus on what they do best and enabling business growth without increasing costs.
With over 30 years’ experience in business technology, spanning FTSE 500 organisations and SMEs, Nick specialises in Microsoft 365, cloud software, AI solutions, and business intelligence.