Missed our deep dive? Read the latest: 2026 Agentic AI Options: Notion 3.0 and the Agent Landscape

[MICROSOFT]

Copilot Tasks Launches in Research Preview

Copilot Tasks went live on February 26. Describe any recurring task in plain English and Copilot runs it in the background with its own browser and computer. No agent configuration required.

Operator angle: This eliminates the entire category of "admin work that requires no judgment but still eats 30 minutes." Join the waitlist at microsoft.com/copilot today.

[OPENAI]

ChatGPT Projects Now Connects to Slack and Google Drive

Projects became a living knowledge base this week. Connect a Slack channel, link a Google Drive folder, save prior ChatGPT outputs as reusable sources. Context carries across every future project chat automatically. Available on all paid plans.

Operator angle: Stop re-pasting your brand doc, SOPs, and client briefs into every new chat. One setup turns ChatGPT into a team member that already knows your business.

[OPENAI]

ChatGPT Thinking Mode Expands to 256K Token Context

Selecting Thinking mode in ChatGPT now delivers 256K total context (128K input + 128K output), up from 196K. Available to Plus and Pro users.

Operator angle: Longer strategy decks, contracts, and research packages now process in a single pass without chunking or losing context midway through analysis.

[ANTHROPIC]

Claude Sonnet 4.6 Officially Available

Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 is live on Claude.ai and the API. It tops the Finance Agent benchmark, measuring performance on real financial analyst workflows, and now routes as the default model across multiple platforms.

Operator angle: If you run financial analysis, deal memos, or investor reporting, this is now the strongest model for the job. No model selection needed; it is the default.

[OPENAI]

ChatGPT Deep Research Gets Source-Pinning and Mid-Run Plan Editing

Deep Research now lets you designate specific websites as trusted sources before a run and edit the research plan while it is executing. A redesigned fullscreen report view is also live. Available on Plus and Pro.

Operator angle: Source pinning solves the number one reason operators distrust AI research: you cannot control where the data comes from. Now you can. Pin your industry sources and stand behind the output.

#1: Microsoft Copilot Tasks: AI That Works While You Sleep

Copilot Tasks launched in research preview on February 26 with a public waitlist open today. You describe a goal in plain English, and Copilot decomposes it into steps, executes them in the background using its own cloud browser and computer, then reports back when complete. Tasks can be one-time, scheduled, or fully recurring. No agent setup, no MCP configuration, no coding. Copilot asks for explicit approval before spending money or sending messages on your behalf.

Operator Action Steps

1. Microsoft.com: Go to microsoft.com/copilot and join the Copilot Tasks waitlist today

2. Your task list: Write out your top 3 recurring weekly tasks that involve opening multiple tabs, copy-pasting, or scheduling manually

3. Copilot Tasks: Once access is granted, describe each task in one plain-English sentence (e.g., "Every Friday, pull new competitor product announcements and summarize in a bullet list to my Outlook draft")

4. Review: Review the plan Copilot proposes, approve or refine it, then let it run

5. Result: Those three tasks execute automatically on schedule with results delivered to your inbox or a shared doc

Expected outcome: Three recurring admin tasks execute automatically on schedule with results delivered to your inbox, no action required on your end.

Why It Matters: Every operator has 5-10 recurring tasks that eat 30-60 minutes each week and require no real judgment. Copilot Tasks handles the entire category, not just individual queries. This is the practical arrival of autonomous AI for non-technical business operators.

#2: ChatGPT Projects Becomes a Persistent Knowledge Operating System

ChatGPT Projects now connects directly to Slack channels, Google Drive files and folders, past ChatGPT conversations, and freeform text notes, building a persistent knowledge base that every future project chat references automatically. Every session inside the project starts fully briefed. No re-pasting context, no re-uploading documents.

Operator Action Steps

1. ChatGPT: Open ChatGPT and navigate to your most active Project

2. Slack + Drive: Add your Slack channel link and your Google Drive strategy or sales folder as Sources

3. Past outputs: Save your 3 best prior ChatGPT research outputs into the project as reusable knowledge

4. Brand context: Drop your brand voice doc, onboarding brief, or SOPs as ad-hoc text sources

5. Test it: Run your next prompt. ChatGPT will reference all sources automatically, skipping all context-setting from every future session

Expected outcome: Every future chat in this project starts fully briefed on your business, clients, and priorities without a single line of re-pasted context.

Why It Matters: Every senior operator rebuilds context from scratch at least once a day. One project setup turns ChatGPT into a fully briefed team member that already knows your business. The Slack + Drive integrations alone remove the biggest friction point in daily AI use.

#3: OpenClaw Ships 1M Token Context, Subagent Spawning, and Security Patches

OpenClaw shipped four significant releases in one week. Version 2026.2.17 delivered a 1 million token context window, Claude Sonnet 4.6 as default routing, subagent spawning, smart cron scheduling with per-job cost tracking, and an iOS Share Extension. Subsequent releases added an Apple Watch companion app, 40+ security patches including a Discord privilege escalation fix and SSRF hardening, Gemini 3.1 Pro support, and closed a credential theft vulnerability.

Operator Action Steps

1. OpenClaw: Update to v2026.2.23 immediately if you are on any earlier February version. The security patches are mandatory

2. Context test: Upload your full client history, CRM export, or 12-month sales data as a single context block

3. Subagents: Use /subagents spawn to deploy isolated workers for parallel tasks (one researching competitors while another drafts a proposal)

4. Cron jobs: Set up a recurring cron job with the new stagger scheduler for weekly reporting workflows

5. Result: Eliminate manual task-splitting and achieve multi-step autonomous research without touching the workflow again

Expected outcome: Multi-step autonomous research and reporting workflows running on schedule with zero recurring intervention after initial setup.

Why It Matters: OpenClaw crossing 216,000 GitHub stars with four releases in one week signals the open-source agent platform is operating at a pace that matches or exceeds commercial tools, while remaining self-hosted and free. For operators who handle sensitive data, this is the credible alternative to SaaS agent platforms.

#4: Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Mode Expands Across Excel, SharePoint, and Outlook

Microsoft 365 Copilot is rolling out agent-style multi-step capabilities across core Office apps. The Excel Agent handles multi-step spreadsheet operations autonomously. SharePoint supports document comparison and Copilot Agents built from files. Copilot Chat in Outlook reasons over an entire inbox and calendar. Copilot Pages can generate PowerPoint decks directly.

Operator Action Steps

1. Excel: Open the desktop app, activate Copilot from the sidebar, and ask the Excel Agent to model 3 revenue scenarios with labeled assumptions

2. SharePoint: Open two contract versions and use the Compare feature to diff them in under 60 seconds

3. Outlook: Open Copilot Chat and prompt it to reason over your last 30 days of emails and surface the 5 threads needing action

4. Copilot Pages: Draft a strategy brief, then prompt "turn this page into a PowerPoint deck with talking points"

Expected outcome: Eliminate 30+ minutes of daily document administration and pre-meeting prep with no new subscriptions.

Why It Matters: These updates convert Copilot from a single-step assistant into a multi-step operator across every app your team already uses. The Excel Agent and full-inbox reasoning are the two features most likely to produce measurable time savings in the first week of use.

Tip 1: The "Board Memo" Prompt That Saves 3 Hours

Tool Required: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or ChatGPT Plus (Thinking Mode)

Pattern: Most operators write strategy updates reactively from scattered notes. This prompt restructures your raw thinking into a board-ready memo in under 10 minutes. Upload notes, get governance-structured output.

Best used for:

Investor updates, board prep, executive team briefings, quarterly business reviews, advisory committee reports

Create a 30-Day Content Calendar in 20 Minutes With Claude

Outcome: Generate a full month of on-brand, platform-specific content ideas in a single session.

Setup time: 20 minutes

Time savings: Replaces a 4-6 hour monthly content planning session. Biggest win for marketing founders and CMOs.

Tools: Claude Sonnet 4.6, Google Sheets or Notion

SETUP STEPS (GATED ARTICLE)

1. Open Claude.ai (Sonnet 4.6) and paste your brand voice doc, 3 top-performing past posts, and your target customer description

2. Prompt: "Based on this brand context, create a 30-day content calendar for [platform]. Include: post topic, format (carousel, video, text, image), core message, and one CTA per post. Mix at a 60/30/10 ratio of educational, authority-building, and promotional content"

3. Export the output to a Google Sheet or Notion table

4. For each post, prompt: "Draft the copy for Day [X] in our brand voice, max 150 words"

5. Review and schedule with average editing time under 5 minutes per post

Build a Sustainable Sleep Protocol for High-Output Weeks

Device/Setup: Sleep Cycle (iOS/Android, free tier available) + ChatGPT

AI Tool: ChatGPT GPT-5.2 analyzes your actual sleep data and builds a personalized recovery protocol around your real schedule. Unlike generic sleep advice, the AI adapts recommendations to your specific work patterns, wake events, and sleep quality scores.

STEPS

1. Install Sleep Cycle and track your sleep for 5 days minimum

2. Export or screenshot your weekly sleep report including average sleep time, quality score, and wake events

3. Paste into ChatGPT with this prompt: "I'm a startup founder under high workload. Here is my sleep data from this week: [data]. Design a 7-day sleep optimization protocol that fits a demanding schedule. Include: bedtime target, a wind-down routine under 20 minutes, a morning anchor time, and one habit I should cut"

4. Set a recurring phone reminder 30 minutes before the recommended bedtime

Expected outcome: Most high-output operators recover 60-90 minutes of effective work time weekly by sleeping better rather than longer, with measurable cognitive improvement in 5-7 days.

Space Mission Planner: Design a Real Mars Mission With AI

Platform: NASA's Mars Exploration website (mars.nasa.gov) + ChatGPT (free tier)

Ages: Perfect for a 10-year-old astronaut-in-training

AI Tool: ChatGPT GPT-5.2

ACTIVITY STEPS

1. Visit mars.nasa.gov together and explore the Missions section. Pick one real rover mission to study

2. Write down: How far is Mars? How long does the trip take? What powers the rover?

3. Open ChatGPT and prompt: "I'm a 10-year-old designing my own Mars mission. Ask me 5 questions about my mission plan and help me fill in the gaps based on real NASA data"

4. Let your kid answer each question and build the full mission brief: destination, crew size, food supply, power source, science goals

Payoff: Your kid walks away with a personalized, scientifically grounded Mars mission document they designed themselves, plus a working understanding of orbital mechanics, life support, and energy systems. Estimated engagement: 45-60 minutes.