OpenAI announced this week that it is launching a version of ChatGPT specifically for financial services, with tools designed for investment banking and equity research.

The interesting part isn't simply another AI product entering another industry. It's where AI is moving in the workflow.

The tools are designed to work with financial data, support research and modeling, and help produce client materials — all within environments where security, permissions, and auditability matter.

In other words, AI is moving closer to our actual work. That distinction matters for every company thinking about AI adoption.

Because productivity gains are one thing, and I believe redesigning the workflow is something else entirely.

This one really caught my attention.

Visa, Mastercard, and Ant International announced a collaboration this week to help create standards for AI agents that can make purchases on our behalf.

And when you think about that for a second, it gets pretty interesting.

Imagine telling an AI agent, “Find me the best flight to Singapore,” and instead of just giving you a list of options, it actually finds the flight, compares everything, books it, and completes the payment — all within the limits you’ve set.

That feels like a pretty different internet.

And suddenly, things like identity, permissions, spending limits, authentication, and trust become a much bigger part of the AI conversation.

The technology is moving incredibly fast.

But if AI is going to start acting on our behalf, the systems that make those actions safe and trustworthy have to keep up.

For a while, there was a lot of talk about the “SaaSpocalypse.”

The idea was pretty straightforward. If AI can do more of the work that software used to do, why would companies keep paying for all that software? It was a fair question.

But something interesting is happening.

This week, Salesforce reported one of its strongest quarters, with its AI-powered products now generating more than $1.5 billion in annual recurring revenue, nearly a fifth of the company's total.

And I think the bigger lesson here is that the companies doing well with AI aren't necessarily the ones replacing their products with AI. They're figuring out how to make their existing products more valuable because of AI.

For me, AI doesn't automatically create a better business. It can, however, make a good product faster, smarter, easier to use, and more valuable to customers.

And maybe that's the more interesting story we're going to see over the next few years.

Not AI replacing SaaS.

But SaaS companies figuring out how to become AI companies without losing sight of the customer problem they originally set out to solve.

The next few weeks are going to be busy in a good way.

I’ll be spending quite a bit of time around founders, operators, marketers, and fintech leaders, and I’m especially looking forward to the conversations happening outside the formal agendas.

Dreamforce next week
I’ll be at Salesforce Dreamforce next week, September 15-17 and would love to connect if you are attending.

If you’ll be there, feel free to send me a direct message or simply reply here, I’m happy to meet up!

I’ll be at FTW San Francisco, September 29–October 1, where I’ll be diving into conversations around fintech, AI, payments, and the future of financial services.

Then on October 1, I’ll be with AScaleX and Catalyst Bay at Brex HQ for Go-to-Market in the AI Era. We’re bringing together a small group of founders, operators, and GTM leaders to talk about what’s actually changing in the way companies find, win, and keep customers.

And on October 8, it’s GTM Unlocked: Marketing in the AI Era.

This one is particularly close to what I’ve been thinking about lately: how AI is changing not just the tools marketers use, but the way people discover brands, evaluate companies, build trust, and ultimately make decisions.

Three events. A lot of smart people. And hopefully, a lot of good conversations.

If you’re going to be at any of these, come find me. I’d love to connect!

And if you’d like exclusive access to any of these events, feel free to email me directly.

The market will keep changing.

New tools will launch. New trends will come and go. And there will always be another headline telling us what's next.

I think the best thing we can do is stay curious, keep learning, and focus on the things that create real value for our businesses, our customers, and the people we work with.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me this week!

Until next time,

— Angelique