In the World of AI: Week of 19 May 2026, ChatGPT Workspace Agents Reach General Release

Agents that carry out whole workflows are now a standard feature in a mainstream business chat product, and a free analytics assistant has arrived for Square sellers in Australia. New data shows that most small businesses still use AI for drafting rather than for changing how work gets done. Here is the week to 26 May 2026.

1. ChatGPT workspace agents become generally available

OpenAI's release notes, as mirrored by releases.sh, dated 21 May 2026 say workspace agents are now generally available in ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Edu. Agents can take ownership of complete workflows, follow team processes and be shared across teams. Agent builders can control which actions an agent may take within each app, and admins can see agent activity and usage in the admin console. The free period for workspace agents was extended to 6 July 2026. An earlier note says agents began rolling out on 22 April 2026 and were off by default at launch.

Why it matters: If you pay for ChatGPT Business, agents are a built-in way to automate repeat work, and a free period is the cheapest time to test one. Limiting each agent to the actions it needs is the control to use first. Our answer on what an AI agent is for business explains the idea.

This week: Pick one repeat task, such as sorting enquiries, and write down exactly which actions an agent would need and which it must never take.

2. Square AI launches in Australia

IT Brief reported on 20 May that Square AI, a conversational assistant built into Square's platform, has launched in Australia. Sellers can ask everyday-language questions about sales and operations using their own data, such as year-on-year sales, top-selling items and peak trading hours. It produces charts in the dashboard and mobile app. The report describes it as free for sellers. eCommerceNews added that Square-commissioned research of 500 Australian business owners found 64 per cent already use AI but only 41 per cent use it regularly.

Why it matters: Reporting questions are an easy first use of AI because the answer can be checked against the till. The data stays inside a platform you already use.

This week: If you use Square, ask it two questions you already know the answer to and see whether it matches.

3. New data shows AI use is mostly drafting

IT Brief reported on 26 May that 43 per cent of Australian SMEs reported some AI adoption between December 2025 and February 2026, citing the National AI Centre via the consultancy Appliers. Deloitte Australia found 12 per cent of organisations said AI was genuinely transforming their business, and Deloitte Access Economics considered 5 per cent of surveyed SMEs fully AI-enabled. The report says most SMEs use generative AI to draft emails and text, while staff still chase clients, update spreadsheets and move information between systems by hand. Deloitte Access Economics modelling estimated that wider SME adoption could add $44 billion to the economy.

Why it matters: The same pattern shows up across sources. Use is widespread, but the chasing, copying and checking work has not changed. Those tasks are often the better target.

This week: Note down the three manual jobs where staff copy information between systems. Our answer on what to automate first helps rank them.

4. CommBank pilots an agent for business customers

SmartCompany reported on 26 May that Commonwealth Bank is testing an agentic assistant inside its mobile app with 10,000 bank employees and select business customers. It is due to go live in stages with thousands of retail and business customers by the end of June 2026. Customers can ask about goals, cash flow and savings using their own data, and the assistant can take actions while resolving questions. CommBank said it will not make direct product recommendations because that would amount to financial advice, and that the customer stays in control. The bank is aiming for agents that could complete income verification and other loan steps but says it is "not quite there yet".

Why it matters: Agents are reaching the places owners already do business. When your bank, accountant or supplier uses one, ask what it can do on your behalf.

This week: Ask your bank which of its digital features now use AI, and how you can reach a person if the assistant gets something wrong.

What to do this week

• Write the permitted and forbidden actions for one candidate agent task.
• If you use Square, test its AI with two questions you can verify.
• List three manual copy-and-paste jobs worth automating.
• Ask your bank how to reach a person when an AI assistant errs.

Sources

• OpenAI ChatGPT release notes (workspace agents generally available, 21 May 2026), via releases.sh: releases.sh
• OpenAI ChatGPT release notes (workspace agents rollout, 22 April 2026), via releases.sh: releases.sh
• IT Brief Australia, "Square AI launched in Australia for small businesses", 20 May 2026: itbrief.com.au
• eCommerceNews Australia, "Square AI launched in Australia for small businesses", 20 May 2026: ecommercenews.com.au
• IT Brief Australia, "Australian SMEs adopt AI but lag on workflow change", 26 May 2026: itbrief.com.au
• SmartCompany, "CommBank to debut AI agent 'companion' for business loans", 26 May 2026: smartcompany.com.au