This week’s updates are heavy on practical features UK teams can use now: Google’s Gemini Deep Research now pulls from Gmail/Drive/Chat, Copilot adds clearer memory controls, Snowflake ships several Cortex features to GA, Databricks lists Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers in Marketplace, and OpenAI quietly adds a cost‑saving GPT‑5 Codex variant. There’s also a sizeable Anthropic infrastructure announcement and a Perplexity–Amazon legal dispute that’s worth clocking for risk.
OpenAI
- Model release notes add GPT‑5‑Codex‑Mini as a cheaper coding option that can auto‑switch in the CLI/IDE when you approach usage limits. For SMEs, that’s a straightforward way to stretch developer seats without dropping to basic models. help.openai.com
- Strategic shift: Reuters reports OpenAI signed a seven‑year, $38bn cloud deal with AWS, expanding beyond its Microsoft‑first posture. Expect knock‑on effects in where enterprise features show up first (Azure vs AWS) and in procurement flexibility. reuters.com
What it means for UK teams
Codex‑Mini could cut cost per engineer while retaining modern GPT‑5‑era behaviours. The AWS deal may simplify hosting decisions if your stack is already on AWS.
Action to consider
- Ask your vendor or MSP whether their Copilot/ChatGPT integrations can route to GPT‑5‑Codex‑Mini for less intensive coding tasks. help.openai.com
- If you’re shortlisting copilots/agents, include cloud placement questions. Our buyer’s checklist may help. 2025 AI Copilot Buyer’s Guide
Anthropic (Claude)
- Anthropic announced a $50bn US datacentre build with Fluidstack (first sites in Texas and New York). This is about compute assurance and latency; availability timelines run into 2026. apnews.com
What it means for UK teams
No immediate product change, but it’s a signal of long‑term capacity (which affects reliability and price over time). If you’re standardising on Claude, this reduces supply‑risk worries.
Action to consider
- For 2026 renewals, ask partners how they’ll take advantage of Anthropic’s expanded capacity to improve SLAs or reduce unit costs. apnews.com
Google (Gemini)
- Deep Research now integrates with your Workspace content (Gmail, Drive incl. Docs/Sheets/Slides, and Chat) to produce richer reports, rolling out on desktop now and mobile “in the coming days.” Admin control sits under Workspace extensions. workspaceupdates.googleblog.com
What it means for UK teams
Teams can get project briefs, competitor notes, and onboarding packs auto‑assembled from internal docs plus the web without manual file uploads.
Action to consider
- Enable Workspace apps for Gemini and set data retention/personalisation policies before switching on. Pilot with a product or fundraising workstream and measure time saved. workspaceupdates.googleblog.com
Microsoft (Copilot)
- Microsoft 365 Copilot is rolling out refreshed controls for Memory and chat‑history‑based personalisation, with GA slated to complete mid‑November. This clarifies what Copilot “remembers” and how to switch it off. mc.merill.net
- Microsoft says GPT‑5 will start to become the default in Copilot Chat and details a batch of Teams features like audio recap. Staged rollouts continue through November. techcommunity.microsoft.com
What it means for UK teams
Better admin visibility and user control lowers DPO concerns, while GPT‑5 routing should improve quality on complex prompts.
Action to consider
- Update your Copilot governance note for staff. At go‑live, run a light UAT using our one‑page review. The Go‑Live Gate for AI
- Plan feature flags and a rollback path if Memory causes surprises in sensitive teams. Feature flags for AI
Snowflake
- General Availability for several Cortex AISQL functions: AI_CLASSIFY, AI_TRANSCRIBE (now supports MP4 and more languages), AI_EMBED and AI_SIMILARITY; alongside AI_TRANSLATE, AI_EXTRACT, AI_SENTIMENT already GA. docs.snowflake.com
- Snowflake Intelligence and Cortex Agents are GA, with a Snowflake‑managed MCP server to standardise agent access to data. Teams/365 Copilot integration for Cortex Agents is GA too. docs.snowflake.com
What it means for UK teams
If you’re a Snowflake shop, more AI can now run inside your data platform (less data movement, clearer governance). The MCP server helps connect enterprise agents to governed data without bespoke plumbing.
Action to consider
- Short pilot: build a “media inbox” that transcribes and classifies supplier calls and webinars directly in Snowflake; expose via Teams using Cortex Agents. Track accuracy, latency, and per‑minute cost. docs.snowflake.com
Databricks
- Databricks Marketplace now supports listing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, making it easier to plug external tools and data sources into AI agents. docs.databricks.com
- Product notes also show SAP BDC connector cross‑cloud sharing updates. Useful where SAP data needs to feed agents across multi‑cloud estates. docs.databricks.com
What it means for UK teams
MCP standardisation reduces custom integration work for agent projects. If your data spans SAP + Databricks, this trims time‑to‑value.
Action to consider
- Ask your SI whether your agents can move to MCP‑compatible tool discovery. Validate security controls on any third‑party MCP servers before install. docs.databricks.com
Perplexity
- Reuters reports Amazon has sued Perplexity over an “agentic” shopping tool allegedly accessing accounts improperly; Perplexity disputes this. If you embed third‑party agents in shopping flows, keep an eye on T&Cs and rate‑limit policies. reuters.com
- Separately, Comet (Perplexity’s browser assistant) got a multitasking upgrade across tabs last weekend, improving task completion in internal tests. techradar.com
What it means for UK teams
Legal and platform friction can affect reliability and access. For consumer‑facing journeys, prefer official extensions/APIs with explicit permissions.
Action to consider
- Run a quick DPIA if staff use third‑party shopping or browsing agents for work accounts; document mitigations like least‑privilege and session isolation. reuters.com
Quick hits
- Google confirms Deep Research + Workspace integration is live now on desktop with mobile following “in the coming days.” Train staff on what will be indexed. workspaceupdates.googleblog.com
- OpenAI Dev tools: Agent/Codex updates continue; keep an eye on cost‑saving model switches like Codex‑Mini. help.openai.com
What to watch next week
- Anthropic follow‑ups: any EU/UK angles or cloud partners cited post‑announcement. apnews.com
- Google Gemini mobile rollout for Deep Research + Workspace content. workspaceupdates.googleblog.com
- Snowflake adopters publishing early reference architectures for Cortex Agents + Teams/365. docs.snowflake.com