Tuesday 29 September 2026
AI at work
Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 5.5, a faster everyday model that's cheaper to run.
Anthropic says Sonnet 5.5 runs more than 30% faster than Sonnet 5 and costs up to 30% less per task in its testing, because it needs fewer tokens to do the same work. The API price per token is unchanged from Sonnet 5. Anthropic says it's strongest at well-scoped everyday tasks such as documents, slides and spreadsheets, and positions Opus 5.5 for complex work that needs careful judgment. It's available on all of Anthropic's platforms, including AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
Why it matters: If your team uses Claude for everyday documents and spreadsheets, results should come back quicker, and tools built on the API won't cost more per token.
Source: Anthropic
Websites
Shopify lets AI agents in a shopper's browser update checkouts and submit them once the shopper confirms.
Shopify says browser-based AI agents can now read and update supported checkout fields on Shopify stores, and submit the checkout after the buyer confirms. When the buyer's input is needed, such as 3D Secure card checks or blocking checkout extensions, control passes back to the buyer. Shopify says the tools use the existing checkout and need no merchant configuration. With its earlier storefront and cart tools, agents can now help with the whole journey, from finding a product to order confirmation.
Why it matters: Shopify merchants don't need to set anything up, but some orders may now be completed by a shopper's AI agent, with the shopper confirming the purchase.
Source: Shopify
AI at work
Google will start turning Gemini Gems into skills in November.
Google says it will remove Gems from the Gemini app and recreate them as skills automatically, along with any supported files. Skills are reusable custom instructions: you type / and the skill's name in any chat, and you can combine several at once. Skills are available now to adults signed in to a personal Google Account, and Google says work and school accounts will get them soon. Its help page explains how to recreate a Gem yourself if you'd rather move early.
Why it matters: Gems move over automatically. Google says personal accounts switch in November 2026, Workspace business accounts in March 2027 and education accounts in June 2027.
Source: Google
Software & systems
Google says ChromeOS will get updates and security patches through mid-2034.
In an FAQ for IT administrators about Googlebook OS, its new operating system built on the Android tech stack, Google says ChromeOS devices will keep receiving regular updates and security patches through mid-2034. Current Chromebooks keep getting updates for their supported lifetime under Google's Auto Update policy, and many newer models will be able to move to Googlebook OS. Google says Googlebooks are for personal use for now, with management tools for businesses and schools starting to roll out in the second half of 2027.
Why it matters: If you're buying Chromebooks for staff, check each model's Auto Update date. ChromeOS updates end in mid-2034; for qualifying devices supported beyond that, Google says it will support a move to Googlebook OS.
Source: Google
