Hi tech & AI enthusiasts, this week's highlights:
OpenAI Introduces Ads to Free ChatGPT
Claude Cowork Brings AI Agents to Everyone
Slack Transforms Slackbot Into Your Personal AI Agent
Plus: Boston Dynamics Atlas Robots, Apple-Google AI Alliance & more
The Lab: How to Get Started With Claude Cowork
AI Image of the Week: Editorial-style luxury hand and champagne scene
Let’s get into it.
▲ AI MONETISATION
OpenAI Introduces Ads to Free ChatGPT
OpenAI announced on January 16 that it will start testing ads in ChatGPT's free and Go tiers in the coming weeks, marking a major shift in how the company monetises its platform whilst expanding global access to 170+ countries.
What you need to know
Ads won't influence answers: ChatGPT's responses stay independent of advertising. Ads appear separately and clearly labelled, with answers optimised purely for helpfulness rather than advertiser preferences.
Your conversations stay private: OpenAI keeps all ChatGPT conversations private from advertisers and never sells user data. You can disable ad personalisation or remove advertising data anytime through settings.
Protected categories: Ads won't appear for users under 18 or in sensitive areas like health, mental wellbeing, or politics during the early testing phase.
Key Ideas
▲ Why it matters: Every new ad platform creates a ground-floor opportunity for early adopters. Businesses that get in now face less competition and lower costs, just like early Facebook and Google Ads advertisers. ChatGPT has 800 million weekly users with high intent, making conversations whilst researching and making decisions.
▲ AI AGENTS
Claude Cowork Brings AI Agents to Everyone
Anthropic launched Claude Cowork, a research preview that lets anyone use AI agents without writing code. Give Claude access to a folder on your computer and it handles complex tasks autonomously.
What you need to know
Works on your actual files: Point Claude at any folder and it reads, edits, and creates files for you. Organise downloads, build spreadsheets from screenshots, or draft reports from scattered documents.
Multi-step workflows: Claude figures out the steps needed and executes them independently. You describe what you want done, and Cowork breaks down the task and completes it without constant guidance.
macOS only for now: The research preview runs on macOS for Claude Pro and Max subscribers. Windows support and cross-device sync are coming later.
Key Idea
▲ Why it matters: The tasks eating your day don't generate revenue. Organising assets, extracting data, compiling deliverables. Cowork handles them in minutes whilst you focus on client strategy and creative work that actually bills.
▲ AI WORKPLACE
Slack Transforms Slackbot Into Your Personal AI Agent
Slack’s Slackbot is now a context-aware AI agent that understands your messages, files, channels, and connected tools to help you find information, draft content, and schedule meetings.
What you need to know
Uses what you already have access to: Slackbot only works with messages, files, and channels you can already see. It connects to Microsoft Teams and Google Drive with your permission, keeping your access boundaries intact.
Nothing to install or learn: The upgraded Slackbot works exactly like the old one. You ask questions or give it tasks, and it handles them using the context from your workspace automatically.
Rolling out through February: Available now for Business+ and Enterprise+ tiers, built on Salesforce's Agentforce platform. General availability completes by the end of February 2026.
Key Idea
▲ Why it matters: Teams waste time searching for campaign data, client history, and approved messaging across Drive, email, and channels. Slackbot surfaces it instantly using conversation context, without switching apps.
▲ EVEN MORE NEWS
Other big ideas from the past week.
Midjourney image
▲ Atlas production model: Boston Dynamics unveiled the production version of its electric Atlas humanoid at CES 2026 on January 5. The robot ships to Hyundai factories and Google DeepMind this year, with 56 degrees of freedom and the ability to lift 50kg.
▲ Apple-Google AI partnership: Apple and Google announced a multi-year collaboration where Apple's Foundation Models will run on Google's Gemini technology, powering a more personalised Siri launching this year in a deal potentially worth $1 billion.
▲ NVIDIA-Lilly drug lab: NVIDIA and Eli Lilly announced a $1 billion, five-year investment in an AI co-innovation lab based in San Francisco to transform drug discovery using NVIDIA's BioNeMo platform.
The Lab
▲ AI EDUCATION
How to Get Started With Claude Cowork
Claude's new Cowork mode lets you work with an AI agent that can read, edit, and create files in any folder on your computer. It handles multi-step tasks autonomously without needing code.
What you'll learn:
How to set up Cowork and give Claude access to your folders
How to delegate complex tasks and let Claude work independently
Practical workflows for organising files, building documents, and data processing
Real-world use cases for business professionals and everyday tasks
🔬 Interested in learning about AI for business? Join The Lab waitlist.
▲ AI IMAGE SHOWCASE
Create this type of image with Midjourney
--sref 545577410
Luxurious close-up scene of a woman's hand holding a vintage crystal coupe glass as champagne is being poured from a bottle emerging through deep green velvet curtains. Elegant manicured fingers with bold red nails, large black gemstone ring, silver jewelry, moody theatrical lighting, rich velvet texture, sparkling liquid splash, high-end editorial photography style, refined composition, ultra-realistic details, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field --sref 545577410Image Usage Suggestion: High-end event promotion materials, Premium beverage brand campaigns (champagne, spirits, wine)
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Thanks for reading, until next time.
Stay curious,
Matt Lok, Editor
Brought to you by Metalabs. Digital marketing consulting specialising in AI.