4 AI Updates Worth a Small Business's Time: The Links

So in the reel I showed four AI updates that are actually worth a small business's time, and I promised you every link in one place, so here they are, with who can get each one and how to switch it on. The Claude offer has changed since I filmed it, so read that bit before you apply.

2. Gemini skills

• What it is. Skills are saved instructions Gemini can reuse in any chat, so you stop pasting the same prompt every time. Gemini also spots when one fits what you're asking and uses it on its own. They're replacing Gems.
• You can stack them. Several skills can work in the same chat, so your brand voice skill and your pricing rules skill can both shape one reply.
• Who gets it. On a personal Google account it's there now if you're over 18, in the Gemini web app, the Mac app and the mobile app, and you don't need a paid Google AI plan. For Google Workspace accounts it started rolling out in the Gemini app on 13 October 2026, and Google expects it to reach everyone by mid-November.
• What happens to your Gems. Google turns them into skills for you when Gems go away. That's November 2026 for personal accounts, no sooner than 1 March 2027 for business accounts, where they come over as draft skills, and June 2027 for education.
• How to set one up. On gemini.google.com, open Settings in the sidebar, then Skills. From there you can click Create with Gemini, edit one of the Recommended templates, click Create manually, or upload a SKILL.md file. You can also just ask for one in a chat, which is what the prompt below does.
• How to use it. Type / in any chat and pick the skill. Google says that shortcut is moving to @.
• The links. Google's guide to creating skills, Google's Gems to skills FAQ and Google's rollout dates.

Here's a brand voice skill to start with. Open gemini.google.com, paste this into a new chat and fill in the lines at the bottom:

Create a skill called brand-voice based on these instructions.

Use this skill whenever I ask you to write anything a customer will read, like emails, social posts, quotes, proposals or website copy. Write in my business's voice using the details below. Keep sentences short and plain, use British spelling, and never sound salesy. Don't use any of the words listed under Words we never use. If the details below don't cover something, ask me rather than guess.

Business:
What we do:
Who our customers are:
How we sound, in three words:
Words we never use:
A message we've sent that sounds like us:

Once it's saved, type / in a new chat, pick brand-voice and ask it to reply to a customer enquiry. Add a pricing rules skill the same way and the two stack.

4. Nano Banana 2.1

• What it is. Google's newest image model, out on 6 October 2026 as an update to Nano Banana 2. Text rendering is one of the big improvements Google lists, and its model card calls out clear text for posters and diagrams, in several languages. So basically your headline finally reads like your headline.
• Who gets it. In the Gemini app it's for Google AI Pro, Plus and Ultra subscribers, and free accounts get Nano Banana 2. It's also in Google AI Studio and the Gemini API, where the model is called gemini-nano-banana-2.1, plus AI Mode in Google Search, Google Ads, Flow and Stitch.
• Banner shapes. Google also improved wide and tall panoramic shapes (1:4, 4:1, 1:8 and 8:1) at 1K, 2K and 4K, which is pretty sweet for website banners.
• How to use it. In the Gemini app, pick Create images from the tools menu, then type your prompt.
• The links. Google's Nano Banana page, Nano Banana 2.1 in Google AI Studio, Google's Gemini API release notes and Google DeepMind's model card.

Here's a prompt for a social graphic with proper headline text. Pick Create images first, paste this and fill in the lines at the bottom:

Create a square social media graphic for my business. Put the headline in big, bold, easy to read letters near the top, spelled exactly as I've written it. Add the small line at the bottom, also spelled exactly. Use my brand colours, a clean modern layout and plenty of space around the words. Show the scene described below behind the text, and don't add any other words.

Business:
Headline:
Small line at the bottom:
Brand colours:
What the image should show: