Good morning from the Coast 🌥️. Last week’s storms reminded us how fragile our infrastructure is, even as AI keeps accelerating. This edition stays short and sharp — just like a Rundown — and focuses on the government programs, new tools and one workshop you can actually use.
🧠 TL;DR
Storm relief: Brisbane and Toowoomba councils were activated for disaster assistance after severe storms swept South‑East Queensland on 26 October. The joint Commonwealth‑state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) will fund clean‑ups, emergency road repairs and the reconstruction of essential public assets.
Company knowledge: ChatGPT Business now lets you query your own files in Drive, Slack or SharePoint, returning answers with citations.
Gemini 3 + Nano Banana Pro: Google’s latest model breaks down complex tasks and its companion Nano Banana Pro turns prompts into crisp infographics with legible text. It’s available now.
New AI hardware: Open‑source humanoid robots HOPEJr and Reachy Mini aim to democratise robotics by keeping the price under US$3 k. Omi, a wearable AI device, reads your thoughts and conversations and is slated for release in Q2 2025.
What’s on: Government mentoring sessions and cyber webinars are available next week; our own social‑media systems workshop happens Wednesday with a Black Friday discount. Join our free AI community on Facebook for ongoing support.
🚨 Government & Council Alerts
Storm recovery & flood resilience
Severe storms on 26 October triggered the first Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) activation of the 2025‑26 season. Brisbane and Toowoomba councils were activated for assistance; funding will support debris removal, emergency road repairs and the reconstruction of essential public assets. Even if your business wasn’t hit, use this as a reminder to check your continuity plan — power backups, off‑site data and clear customer communications.
At the city level, Brisbane Council’s Flood Resilient Suburbs – Business Resilience Program offers free assessments and tailored continuity plans to help companies prepare for future floods. It includes building inspections and design recommendations to reduce downtime when the next storm hits (details via council website).
Queensland government events (free)
Event | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
Tue 25 Nov · Online | 45‑minute sessions with experienced mentors to stress‑test your strategy and growth plans (Book via Business Queensland). | |
Tue 25 Nov · Online | A 30‑minute webinar on common cyber pitfalls that trip up Queensland small businesses. Short, current and free. |
These sessions are run by the state government and are designed for SMEs, not big enterprise teams. Make the most of them while they’re available.
🔍 New AI Releases & Hardware
ChatGPT gets your files
OpenAI’s company knowledge tool is now live for ChatGPT Business and Enterprise. It connects to apps like Google Drive and Slack and uses GPT‑5 to answer questions with citations. It respects user permissions, so staff only see what they’re allowed to see. For SMEs, this means you can skip expensive “enterprise AI” platforms — just plug in your files and ask away.
Gemini 3 & Nano Banana Pro
Google’s Gemini 3 launched last week with multi‑step reasoning and the ability to delegate tasks to specialised models. Paired with it is Nano Banana Pro, a companion model that creates polished diagrams and infographics from text prompts. It supports blending multiple images, produces legible multi‑language text and maintains consistent style across variations. The tool is now available across Gemini products.
Here’s a peek:
AI hardware trend
Open‑source robots: Hugging Face launched HOPEJr and Reachy Mini — an affordable humanoid robot and a desktop head — to make robotics accessible for AI development. Both are open‑source and aim to bring down the cost of working with physical AI.
Omi wearable: Designboom reports on Omi, a wearable AI device shaped like a button or necklace that can read thoughts, hear conversations and complete tasks users think of design. It’s expected to launch in the second quarter of 2025 and is a reminder that AI is moving from screens to personal gadgets.
🎟 Upcoming Workshop & Community
I’m hosting a live, hands‑on session next Wednesday to help your team build a repeatable social‑media content system. We’ll cover:
Prompt frameworks for ChatGPT Business and Gemini.
Using Nano Banana Pro to generate on‑brand visuals.
Copy my content machine system to simplify your marketing.
Use code STARTUPSYSTEMS for $20 off our Black Friday pricing. Sign up at academy.techhorizonlabs.com.
With advanced workshops coming that build on this and allows you to create your own micro apps for your business.
Join our free AI community
Connect with other Sunshine Coast and Brisbane founders in our AI for SEQ SMEs Facebook group. Share wins, troubleshoot challenges and access free templates. Search “Tech Horizon University” on Facebook and hit join — it’s free.
🔧 Quick playbook
Run a storm drill: Take 30 minutes to map your critical operations (office, warehouse, suppliers) and decide what happens if a storm hits. Use the DRFA activation and Council programs above as prompts.
Switch on company knowledge: Upgrade to ChatGPT Business, connect one data source and pilot three tasks per team (e.g. proposals, client comms, SOPs). Evaluate results before investing further.
Test Nano Banana Pro: Choose one recurring content item (weekly social tile, event flyer) and build a prompt template. Iterate until you have a workflow anyone in the team can follow.
Watch the hardware horizon: Keep an eye on HOPEJr, Reachy Mini and Omi as signals that AI is moving into physical devices. They may shape how you deliver services or content in the next few years.
Stay curious,
Huxley
Tech Horizon Labs