September 2026 Business Tech Rundown: AI Agents, Major Updates and a Cyber Security Reality Check

September was a busy month for business technology.

AI tools are moving beyond simply answering questions and towards actually carrying out work. Microsoft, Google and OpenAI all announced changes that could affect how businesses use AI, while Windows and Apple released major operating system updates.

But there’s a common thread running through almost everything announced this month: just because a tool can access more of your business doesn’t necessarily mean it should.

Here’s what New Zealand businesses should know.

AI is starting to work between conversations

One of the bigger developments came from OpenAI, which announced Dots at DevDay.

Rather than requiring you to start every task with another prompt, Dots are designed to keep working between conversations, use connected applications and bring the results back to you for review.

OpenAI also introduced ChatGPT Space, designed to give teams somewhere to share files, Pages and work with colleagues.

For businesses, this is another step towards AI becoming less like a chatbot and more like another participant in a workflow.

That makes permissions increasingly important.

Instead of immediately connecting AI to everything, our suggestion is to start with one routine task, give it only the access it actually requires, and keep a person involved in checking the results.

Microsoft is pushing Copilot further into actual work

Microsoft also announced a new Copilot experience built around Home, Code and Autopilot.

Code is intended to let users create things such as apps, trackers and dashboards from a plain-English description, while Autopilot is designed to keep recurring work moving between prompts.

There are a couple of important catches, though.

These features are being introduced gradually - Code is entering Frontier while Autopilot is expanding through private preview - and Microsoft says its agent capabilities use usage-based billing.

So before designing a business process around them, make sure the feature is actually available to your organisation and understand what it is going to cost.

Google Gemini is connecting to more of your business data

Google is heading in much the same direction.

Gemini can now connect with business applications including HubSpot, QuickBooks and Salesforce, allowing eligible users to bring information from those services into their Google Workspace workflows.

Importantly, the connector capability is enabled by default for eligible users, although administrators have controls over what is permitted.

If your organisation uses Google Workspace, now would be a good time to review which integrations are enabled and whether staff really need access to each one.

As AI tools become more useful, the amount of business information they can potentially access is growing at the same time.

Windows 11 26H2 has arrived

Microsoft also released Windows 11 26H2 at the end of September.

For eligible computers already running Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, Microsoft is offering the update through a small enablement package requiring a single restart.

For businesses, though, the sensible approach remains the same: don’t immediately deploy a new Windows release across every computer.

Test it with a small group first, particularly if your organisation relies on specialised, older or business-critical applications.

Apple has updated almost everything too

Apple also released iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, with Siri’s new AI capabilities beginning to roll out as an English-language beta on supported hardware.

Again, businesses should check device compatibility, backups and important applications before pushing major operating system upgrades to everyone.

A new feature is considerably less exciting when it stops an application somebody needs to do their job.

And a reminder that cyber security still matters

Alongside all the new AI features, there was a useful local reality check.

Research published by New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre found that 53% of SMEs surveyed had experienced a cyber threat or attack in the previous six months.

For businesses employing between 20 and 49 people, that increased to 76%.

Those figures include attempted threats rather than only successful breaches, but they reinforce just how routinely New Zealand businesses are being targeted.

The fundamentals still matter: multi-factor authentication, software updates, reliable backups and staff security training.

What should businesses take from September?

The biggest change we’re seeing is that AI is becoming capable of doing more than generating text or answering questions.

It is beginning to connect to the systems businesses actually use, carry out work and continue tasks without somebody constantly prompting it.

That’s useful - but it also means somebody needs to be responsible for who has access, what the AI can access, what it costs, and how its work is checked.

Start small. Find one useful workflow. Keep permissions tight. Review the results.

Then expand from there.

That’s the September 2026 Business Tech Rundown with Mint.

Watch the video for the full rundown, and we’ll be back next week with another look at the technology changes that actually matter to New Zealand businesses.