AI Pulse – January 2026

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AI Unleashed: Your Promo Business in 2026 Just Got Smarter!

OpenAI (ChatGPT & DALL-E)

https://openai.com/
GPT-5.2 Model Takes the Stage with Enhanced Intelligence
OpenAI has just rolled out GPT-5.2, the latest upgrade to their core AI model. It’s now even smarter and more helpful for all sorts of tasks, from finding information to writing technical documents and translating languages. Expect clearer, more reliable, and friendlier conversations! It’s also improved at understanding and generating code, which is a big leap forward.
ChatGPT Gets Customisable with App Directory & Personalisation Controls
ChatGPT now features an App Directory, allowing you to connect it with other tools and services, making your workflows smoother. Plus, new detailed characteristic controls let you fine-tune ChatGPT’s responses. You can now adjust its ‘warmth,’ ‘enthusiasm,’ use of ‘headers & lists,’ and even ’emoji frequency’ to match your brand’s voice perfectly.

These OpenAI advancements are a game-changer for ANZ promotional product businesses. GPT-5.2’s enhanced intelligence means you can generate high-quality marketing copy, engaging social media posts, and even draft more sophisticated sales proposals with greater accuracy and a more natural tone. The new customisation options mean your AI-generated content can truly reflect your brand’s unique personality and style, ensuring consistency across all client communication. Integrating ChatGPT with other apps through the directory could streamline many internal creative and communication processes.

  • Generate a series of personalised email marketing campaigns for different client segments (e.g., ‘new tech gadgets’ vs. ‘eco-friendly apparel’), ensuring the tone and style align perfectly with your brand’s voice and the specific client relationship.
  • Quickly create multiple variations of compelling product descriptions or website content for new merchandise lines, leveraging GPT-5.2’s improved writing capabilities to highlight key benefits and drive client interest.
Gemini 3 Flash Delivers Lightning-Fast, Multimodal Intelligence
Google has launched Gemini 3 Flash as the new default model in the Gemini app, bringing ‘next generation intelligence at lightning speed.’ This updated model boasts PhD-level reasoning and a significant leap in understanding images, audio, and text all at once. It’s designed for quick answers and handling complex problems faster.
New ‘Gems’ Allow for Custom AI Mini-Apps & Video Verification
Gemini now lets you create ‘Gems’ – custom AI mini-apps tailored for specific tasks, turning everyday problems into easy solutions. Imagine a ‘Recipe Genie’ for your team’s lunch! Additionally, a new AI video verification tool has been introduced, allowing users to check if videos have been AI-generated or edited, adding a layer of trust in digital content.

Gemini’s rapid advancements offer promotional product businesses powerful tools for quick decision-making and enhanced creative work. Gemini 3 Flash’s multimodal understanding is fantastic for brainstorming product visualisation ideas by analysing images and text simultaneously. The ability to create custom ‘Gems’ means you can build bespoke AI assistants for very specific internal tasks, like generating creative briefs or personalising client follow-ups. The video verification feature is crucial for maintaining trust in a digital landscape, ensuring authenticity of marketing materials.

  • Utilise Gemini 3 Flash to quickly analyse client brand guidelines (text) and existing product photos (images) to generate innovative promotional product design concepts or mock-ups that perfectly align with their aesthetic.
  • Develop a custom ‘Gem’ AI assistant that helps sales teams quickly draft personalised email responses to common client inquiries, drawing on product knowledge and client history to maintain consistent communication.
Enhanced AI-Powered Design Suggestions and Generative Features
Adobe Express in 2025 transformed digital design with deep integration of Adobe Firefly AI. This means more intelligent, AI-powered design suggestions and robust text-to-image generation capabilities. It simplifies graphic creation, helping users create stunning visuals quickly while maintaining Adobe’s professional standards.
Seamless ChatGPT Integration for Conversational Design Workflows
Adobe has deepened Express’s capabilities by integrating it directly with ChatGPT. Now, you can simply ‘ask’ Express, through conversational commands, to resize graphics, rewrite marketing copy, or even redesign visuals. This allows for incredibly intuitive content creation directly within the chat interface, without needing to switch between apps.

Adobe Express continues to empower ANZ promotional businesses by making professional-grade design accessible to everyone, not just expert designers. The enhanced AI-powered design suggestions and generative features significantly speed up the creation of mock-ups, marketing materials, and social media content, even for those without extensive graphic design skills. The recent integration with ChatGPT takes this a step further, allowing for highly intuitive, conversational design workflows. This means your marketing team can generate on-brand visuals and compelling copy faster and more efficiently, saving valuable time and resources.

  • Generate creative mock-ups for new promotional products (e.g., a branded eco-friendly water bottle on a lifestyle background) by describing the desired visual in plain language within Adobe Express, quickly iterating on AI-powered suggestions.
  • Use ChatGPT to instantly ‘ask’ Adobe Express to create variations of a social media ad or email banner for an upcoming client event, providing prompts like ‘make it more vibrant’ or ‘change the call to action’.