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FROM THE AI DESK

Welcome to our October issue!

This month, several AI updates point in a similar direction: AI tools are starting to do more than answer questions in a chat.

OpenAI introduced new ways for AI agents to keep working between conversations and for teams to share work inside ChatGPT. It is also preparing to retire custom GPTs, which means people who have built their own assistants will need to think about whether that work belongs in a Skill, Project, connected App, or another setup going forward.

Anthropic also added Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5, giving Claude users new choices depending on whether they need help with a well-defined task or a problem that requires more investigation and judgment.

In AI in Action, we look beyond the AI tools themselves and explore where AI could make a practical difference inside ERP processes, especially in the research, follow-up, and coordination that happens before a transaction can move forward.

What Changed in AI

OpenAI DevDay 2026: The Biggest Announcements

OpenAI used this year’s DevDay to introduce several changes that expand what ChatGPT can do beyond an individual conversation. One of the biggest is Dots, a new type of AI agent that can be given an ongoing responsibility and continue working between conversations. OpenAI also introduced more ways for teams to work together inside ChatGPT through shared Spaces, Pages, and team tasks.

For businesses, these updates could change ChatGPT from a tool employees open for individual questions into a place where ongoing work, people, and AI agents come together.

See the biggest announcements from OpenAI DevDay →

 

OpenAI Is Retiring Custom GPTs. What Happens to the Ones I Already Use?

Custom GPTs are scheduled to stop running in December, but that does not necessarily mean starting over.

OpenAI is introducing a migration process that can move instructions, reference files, and app connections into its newer Plugin system. The right replacement may depend on what the GPT was originally built to do.

See what your custom GPT could become →

 

Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5 Are Here

Anthropic has added two more models to Claude, making the model menu a little more complicated for regular users.

Sonnet 5.5 is designed for well-defined everyday work such as analyzing information, creating presentations, working with spreadsheets, and producing documents. Opus 5.5 is aimed at work that requires more investigation, judgment, and multi-step reasoning.

The article also compares both with Fable 5.1 and offers a practical way to decide which Claude model makes sense depending on how much of the problem you expect Claude to figure out on its own.

See which Claude model fits which type of work →

AI in Action

Where AI Can Make a Difference in ERP

Some of the most time-consuming work inside an ERP system happens before anyone completes the actual transaction.

Employees may need to investigate why something is outstanding, find missing information, check approvals, review notes, or figure out who needs to act next. Much of that work happens across ERP screens, emails, spreadsheets, and conversations.

AI could help bring that context together, explain what needs attention, and prepare a next step for someone to review. The opportunity is not to remove business rules or human judgment, but to reduce the time employees spend piecing together the information they need to make a decision.

Explore where AI could fit into ERP workflows →

Context Window

Context Window

A context window is the amount of information an AI model can work with at one time. This includes your questions, previous messages in the conversation, uploaded documents, and the AI's responses.

For example, if you upload a 100-page report and ask Claude or ChatGPT to compare information from different sections, the context window determines how much of that material the model can consider at once.

Context windows are measured in tokens, which are small pieces of text. Different AI models have different limits.

A larger context window can be useful for long documents, complex projects, and extended conversations. However, fitting more information into the window doesn't guarantee the AI will use every detail correctly.

Do we really need a different AI model for different tasks?

Do we really need a different AI model for different tasks?

Not necessarily. The newest model isn't always the best choice for everything you do.

Take Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Fable 5.1, for example. Sonnet 5.5 is faster and designed to handle everyday business tasks efficiently, including creating documents, analyzing spreadsheets, and preparing presentations. Fable 5.1 is better suited to demanding problems that require extensive research, complicated reasoning, or deeper analysis.

Imagine you need Claude to review a monthly sales report. Sonnet 5.5 may be enough to summarize the results, identify trends, and prepare a presentation. But if you're investigating why sales have declined across several regions and need Claude to evaluate multiple possible causes, Fable 5.1 may be worth trying.

Cost is another consideration. For developers and businesses paying based on usage, Sonnet 5.5 costs about 80% less per unit of text processed than Fable 5.1.

 

📬 Got a question for next month?

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SPECIAL INVITATION

Join Us for Our October AI Roundtables

Our AI Roundtables are just around the corner!

Join SVA Consulting and ADP for a morning of AI discussions with business leaders from across industries.

We'll explore new AI use cases , data-driven AI, and discuss where these tools can fit into everyday business processes. You'll also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with other attendees, share challenges, and identify potential next steps for your organization.

Madison AI Roundtable | October 20

Register here

Brookfield AI Roundtable | October 21
Register here

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