A weekly newsletter dedicated to keeping you informed with actionable strategies to leverage AI in your small business, without the overwhelm!
Share
Claude Opus 4.6 Is Here
Published about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Weekly AI Highlights: January 31 - February 6, 2026
What Small Business Owners Need to Know Right Now
by Jen Lehner
Reader, this week Anthropic just became even more of a darling, if you ask me. They released Claude Opus 4.6 for deeper, longer work and added plugins to Claude Cowork, moving AI closer to reliable, role-based workflows. At the same time, Anthropic is reinforcing its ad-free stance (and basically giving OpenAI the middle finger in their hilarious new Super Bowl ads.) OpenAI continues streamlining models, shaping how focused and predictable these tools feel day to day.
1. Anthropic Releases Claude Opus 4.6
Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4.6, with a larger context window (roughly 1,500 pages of text). It can process entire document collections without losing the thread. But the most exciting thing, in my opinion, is that it also introduced "agent teams" in Claude Code, where multiple AI agents divide up tasks and work simultaneously — like hiring a whole task force instead of one assistant. And it now integrates directly with PowerPoint, so you can generate decks without switching apps.
MY TAKE I haven’t tested this yet, but based on how Anthropic is describing it, this sounds like a solid refinement rather than a flashy change. I’m planning to test it out this weekend.
ACTION STEP (DO THIS WEEK)
Head to Claude right now and switch to Opus 4.6 and try one real task you care about, like writing, analysis, or planning.
2. Claude Cowork Now Supports Plugins for Specialized Workflows
Anthropic has added plugin support to Claude Cowork, making it possible to turn Claude into a true role-based specialist. With plugins, you can bundle together skills, connectors, slash commands, and sub-agents into a single setup, so Claude behaves consistently for a specific role, team, or company. This makes Cowork especially useful for repeatable workflows like content planning, internal documentation, research, and analysis.
Install plugins in just a few clicks and explore the full library on Claude’s website here.
MY TAKE Once you can package how Claude should behave for a role, you stop re-explaining yourself and start delegating more confidently. That is when AI actually becomes useful at scale.
ACTION STEP (DO THIS WEEK)
Think about one role-based task you repeat, like research, content planning, or internal documentation. Write down what Claude would need every time to do that task well. That list becomes the foundation for a Cowork plugin later.
3. Anthropic Says Claude Will Remain Ad-Free and Takes Aim at OpenAI in Super Bowl Ads
Claude's Super Bowl ads are fantastic, and Sam Altman is having a cow about it...
Anthropic is running a series of Super Bowl ads positioning Claude as “a space to think” directly calling out ad-supported AI as intrusive when you’re trying to do deep, personal work. The ads show AI assistants interrupting you mid-thought with sponsored content, ending with a clear message: ads may be coming to AI, but not to Claude.
MY TAKE This isn’t really about ads. It’s about two very different philosophies colliding in public. Anthropic is betting that people will pay for an ad-free, focused thinking environment. OpenAI is betting that scale and access matter more. Both can be true, but the gloves are clearly off now.
4. OpenAI Retires GPT-4o and Several Older Models in ChatGPT
OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini inside ChatGPT as it shifts focus to newer models. These options will no longer be selectable, but for most people this change happens entirely behind the scenes.
If you’ve created any custom GPTs that are set to a specific model, open them and check which model they’re using. It’s a good time to switch them to the latest available model so nothing breaks or behaves unexpectedly.
REPLAY: Leveraging AI To Create LinkedIn Content That Grows Your Business with Scott Aaron
The replay is now available for you inside the Front Row HQ app.
If you missed the live session, catch the full training with Scott Aaron on using AI to grow your business on LinkedIn, including how to optimize your profile, build the right network, create consistent content faster with AI prompts, and use LinkedIn newsletters to increase reach and engagement.
Watch the replay in the free Front Row HQ app and revisit the steps anytime as you begin putting them into action. After downloading the app, select Front Row AI Free Trainings to find the replay.
Turn a real interview transcript into a clear, reusable brand voice guide that helps AI write the way you actually sound, not a generic version of you.
Try this prompt:
You are working with an interview transcript and need to translate how someone speaks into a clear, repeatable brand voice guide. The goal is not generic tone matching, but capturing the deeper patterns that make their communication style feel natural, consistent, and recognizable across any format. This requires careful analysis of word choice, sentence structure, pacing, and recurring themes, then organizing those insights into a practical guide that can be reused to train AI to write in that same voice.
PS. This is not the full prompt. Click below to access the complete version
This is an important NON PARTISAN message from Bernie Sanders. I want to be on the record saying that I fully support regulating AI. Every day I bring you the best of AI, but obviously, there’s a dark side, and we can’t ignore that. In Sanders’ message, he brings up some very important considerations regarding AI, and the importance of regulation.
The Bottom Line
This week highlights a growing divide in how AI is being built and positioned. Anthropic is investing in deeper reasoning, consistent role-based workflows, and an ad-free environment designed for focused work. OpenAI continues to optimize for scale, access, and rapid model turnover behind the scenes. The result is two very different experiences taking shape. One prioritizes depth, continuity, and delegation. The other prioritizes reach and evolution at speed. Knowing which approach supports how you think and work will matter more than chasing every new release.
This is a wild ride.
Comments
If these updates made you think differently about how you want to work with AI, hit reply and let me know. I read every message, and your questions help shape what I cover and teach next.
Have a great weekend,
Founder, Front Row AI Club PS. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up to get it in your inbox.
Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Join the Front Row AI Club. I'll show you exactly how to turn AI into an indispensable part of your business without the head-banging learning curve.
Weekly AI Highlights: March 14 - March 20, 2026 What Small Business Owners Need to Know Right Now by Jen Lehner Reader, Claude is giving everyone double the usage for two weeks. Manus (now owned by Meta) released a desktop app that lets AI work directly on your computer. And Google is letting Gemini read your Gmail and Photos to personalize your search results for free. Let's get into it. 1. Claude Doubles Usage Limits for Two Weeks (and Longer Conversations Are Here) Anthropic is doubling...
Weekly AI Highlights: March 7 - March 13, 2026 What Small Business Owners Need to Know Right Now by Jen Lehner Reader, This week felt less like product updates and more like a land grab. Google revamped Gemini across Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. Zoom announced an entire AI office suite and those AI avatars we've been hearing about. And Anthropic launched a marketplace for Claude-powered business tools. Every major platform is racing to become the place where your work gets done. Not just...
Weekly AI Highlights: February 28 - March 6, 2026 What Small Business Owners Need to Know Right Now by Jen Lehner Reader, Claude had the kind of week most companies dream about. #1 app in the country. Free memory for everyone. Voice commands for developers. And half the internet is trying to figure out how to move their ChatGPT data over. Meanwhile, OpenAI released an update specifically because users kept complaining that ChatGPT was too preachy and annoying. And then, as I was literally...