[AI SPRINT] Your Future Customer, Lindy AI, and Recent ChatGPT Updates

Last week, I had the privilege of delivering the opening keynote at the ASAE CEO Enclave, a gathering of association CEOs from across the country.

I spoke about the importance of identifying your Future Customer in the AI Era—and starting to reinvent for them today. This practice comes from my time at Amazon, where we asked: “What will our customer want five years from now?” Then we built that future before anyone else.

Customer expectations are already shifting. A Capgemini study found 58% of consumers now use AI instead of traditional search.

That means your customers already expect AI-enhanced services. The firms that reinvent for them now will be the ones that win—and sustain leadership—in the AI Era.

To help, I’m sharing today my Future Customer™ framework. Gather your leadership team and answer these five questions to create your future AI strategy.

1. What do our customers say they value most about our company today?

2. Which of those values will still matter when know-how is free and instant?

3. Which of those values can you no longer charge extra for— because it becomes table stakes?

4. Where will customers still desire — and pay for — a uniquely human touch?

5. What brand-new value could we create because intelligence is cheap—something customers don’t yet ask for?

Not in a leadership role? Use these same questions for your role or industry. They’ll point you toward your own path to thrive in the AI Era.

If you’d like support building this strategy—or embedding AI into your business—we can help. We’ve just added two new AI Advisors ready to guide you on the journey.

And keep reading for other updates: I’m also announcing our new partnership with Lindy AI, plus key updates to ChatGPT you should know about.

Stellis Partners with Lindy

We’re excited to announce that Stellis is now an official partner of Lindy, one of the most promising platforms in the emerging category of Agentic AI and app development. We chose Lindy because it balances ease of use with powerful agent capabilities—ideal for individuals and SMBs who want results without heavy IT lift. And now, if you sign up at this link, you’ll get 30 days free and 5,000 credits to test it out.

What is Lindy?

Lindy is a great example of a new class of Agentic AI platforms—tools designed not just to answer questions, but to act on your behalf. Unlike traditional chatbots, these platforms can chain together reasoning, decision-making, and actions across apps and data sources. Lindy stands out for its ease of use: it makes creating and managing AI agents simple enough for non-technical teams, while still being powerful for more advanced workflows.

Why Agent Platforms Matter

Agentic AI platforms are rapidly becoming the next step in workplace automation. They enable individuals and businesses to:

• Automate repetitive workflows (scheduling, follow-ups, reporting).

• Connect business tools into “always-on” AI assistants.

• Enhance customer service with agents that handle requests end-to-end.

• Free up staff for higher-value, creative, or strategic work.

What This Means for You

For SMBs, platforms like Lindy can deliver enterprise-level productivity gains without enterprise-level complexity or cost. Think of them as an extension of your team—AI agents that can help manage communications, streamline operations, and support sales and marketing.

For enterprises, Lindy might be a fit for small use cases, but we have other recommendations that will fit enterprise scale, including n8n.io, make.com, and custom development.

In our next section, we’ll highlight a concrete use case to show how Lindy can make a difference for your business.

Lindy Use Case Spotlight: An AI Email Assistant for Customer Inquiries

One of the easiest ways to get started with Lindy is by setting up an AI email assistant that automatically drafts replies to customer inquiries.

At a high level, here’s what it involves:

• Connect your inbox so the assistant can monitor incoming messages.

• Add your knowledge base by uploading your website content and internal docs, such as PDFs.

• Draft responses automatically: when a customer writes in, the assistant prepares a personalized reply, drawing on your approved materials.

The setup is surprisingly simple—you can get a prototype running in under an hour, without needing to write code. And here’s our best advice: start by having the assistant draft replies only, not send them automatically. This lets your team review responses, build confidence, and fine-tune accuracy before putting it fully on autopilot.

We’ve put together a short walkthrough that shows exactly how to set this up:

Step-by-step walkthrough: Build your own AI email assistant with Lindy.

Now, let’s finish with updates to ChatGPT you should know about.

ChatGPT Updates

Here are three recent ChatGPT updates that SMB leaders should know about.

ChatGPT Voice Update (Sept 9, 2025)

OpenAI has expanded Advanced Voice Mode—longer sessions for Free users and nearly unlimited use for Plus users. While Standard Voice was scheduled for retirement, OpenAI is keeping it around for now after user feedback, ensuring a smoother transition.

Why it matters for SMBs:

Voice interactions make ChatGPT more natural for busy professionals—whether capturing quick notes, brainstorming ideas on the go, or supporting customer interactions. Keeping both modes means teams can choose the voice experience that best fits their workflows while new improvements roll out.

Branch Conversations on Web (Sept 4, 2025)

ChatGPT now supports branching conversations, allowing users to spin off alternative threads without losing the original context. Just hover over a message, click “More actions (⋯),” and start a new branch.

Why it matters:

Teams often juggle multiple ideas at once—marketing copy variations, customer responses, or product brainstorming. Branching lets you explore “what if” scenarios in parallel, reducing confusion and keeping experiments organized.

Projects Now on Free Tier (Sept 3, 2025)

The Projects feature, which combines chats and files in one organized space, is now available to Free users (with up to 5 file uploads per project). Paid tiers also received upgrades—up to 40 file uploads for Business and Enterprise. Customization options like colors and icons make organization easier.

Why it matters:

Projects turn ChatGPT into a lightweight knowledge hub—perfect for tracking proposals, marketing campaigns, or client deliverables in one place. With file upload support even on the free plan, businesses can start centralizing their work in ChatGPT without extra tools or cost.

As AI tools evolve rapidly, Stellis is here to help you focus on what matters—finding the right use cases to deliver value today. Reach out if you’d like to explore how these tools could fit your business!

About Trent: Trent Gillespie is an AI Keynote Speaker, CEO of Stellis AI, former Amazon leader, and advisor on building AI-Native, AI-Enabled businesses. Book Trent to speak to your group or book a call to discuss using AI within your business.

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