(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in small business technology that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
This Week in Small Business Technology News
Small Business Technology News #1 — Musk says X money set to debut in April.
Elon Musk has announced that “X Money” — a digital payments service built into the social platform X — will begin early public access in April 2026 per a March 10 post on Musk’s X account.The launch is part of Musk’s strategy to turn X into an “everything app” that combines social media, messaging, and financial services. He’s been quoted as saying that X has the potential to become “the biggest financial institution in the world.” Visa’s payment technology is X’s first partner in the XMoney endeavor per CEO Linda Yaccarino in 2025, when the partnership was announced. (Source: PYMNTS)
Why this is important for your small business:
Consumers in many countries — India and China in particular — are using one app for social media, messaging, communications and payments. Musk has long had this goal for the U.S. and next month that becomes a reality. It’ll be interesting to see how popular this becomes and when businesses should be paying attention.
Small Business Technology News #2 — Phishing scammers impersonating city, county officials, demanding payment: FBI.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning about a phishing scam — declared as a “new form of phishing” according to the American Planning Association (APA). Scammers are impersonating city and county planning/zoning officials to trick people into paying fraudulent permit fees. These scams have been active in several states around the country. Homeowners and businesses that have applied for land-use or construction permits are the main targets. An email that appears to be from a local government official or zoning board is sent to targeted individuals, referencing real permit details, such as property addresses or permit numbers. In many cases the emails are sent within the same timeframe of legitimate messages, making recipients more likely to respond. (Source: Security Boulevard)
Why this is important for your small business:
Welcome to 2026. Data like this is more easy to obtain by those who want to take advantage of it. AI based systems can create very real looking messaging. Employees are busy and don’t have time to check it all. We just assume it’s OK. We can’t be doing that. Messages should be received by people on an approved list. Great scrutiny needs to happen. Training is needed.
Small Business Technology News #3 — Microsoft wants you to ‘hire’ its AI agents.
Technology giants are determined to increase daily AI usage. The latest example is Microsoft’s proposal of a new way for businesses to engage with AI: Rather than interacting with AI tools, companies would essentially “hire” AI agents to perform specific roles inside their organizations. Microsoft envisions autonomous AI agents that operate continuously, performing tasks such as managing sales data, scheduling workflows, or monitoring IT systems without the need for prompting. Each agent would perform an assigned role like “a trusted team member” according to Microsoft. This seems to be an experimental proposal to see if companies will follow through on “hiring” digital workers. (Source: Computerworld)
Why this is important for your small business:
Could this be the solution to our talent gaps? Every business owner I know is looking for good people AI isn’t going to replace our staff because we don’t have enough staff to get things done. But wait…I can hire an “agent” do to my social media marketing? Run email campaigns. Check purchase orders? Reconcile bank accounts? As the article says, it’s all experimental. But it kind of makes sense…once we feel comfortable relying on an agent supplied by Microsoft!
Small Business Technology News #4 — Google’s Gemini AI is getting a bigger role across Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Emma Roth of The Verge reported on Google’s Gemini AI assistant and its expanding role. Gemini will be more active across Google Workspace apps — Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Drive. In Docs, Gemini now appears as a chat interface, letting users describe the document they want and have Gemini generate, format, and edit it. Users can also ask the AI to create spreadsheets from a prompt, automatically pulling relevant information from files, emails, or the web. It can also help solve analytical problems. Gemini can generate or edit slides automatically according to specific formatting of an entire presentation. The update is now available in Google AI Pro and AI Ultra plans. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your small business:
When small business owners ask me how they can be taking advantage of AI my answer is always: try using the AI that you already own. Google Workspace is used by millions of businesses worldwide, and they’re not using it very well! Get some training or consulting and lean into the AI capabilities that come with the platform. Google is clearly pushing Gemini. Our employees should be using it to be more productive…and profitable.
Small Business Technology News #5 — KPMG using cash prizes to boost AI innovation by staff.
Professional services firm KPMG is offering cash prizes to employees who develop innovative uses of artificial intelligence. Named the “AI Spark Innovation” awards, the idea is to not only reward consultants who create AI tools or workflows that improve client services, it aims to accelerate AI adoption and experimentation within the firm. Winners could receive cash payouts larger than typical year-end bonuses, but no specifics on exact amounts. Vice Chair Rob Fisher sees the award a great vehicle for AI innovation while “trying to bring more carrots for our folks,” he said. (Source: LinkedIn)
Why this is important for your small business:
Instead of asking employees to come up with innovative ways to use AI, why not ask AI? That aside, here’s an example of how younger employees can set themselves up for the future. Entry level staff accounting jobs are going to be a thing of the past in a few years. New hires will be expected to come in at a management level, managing: AI agents and bots.
Each week I round up five small business technology news stories and explain why they’re important for your business. If you have any interesting stories, please post to my X account @genemarks
