Week 43, 2026
Coverage window 16 – 22 October 2026.
For the interpretation of this week, and why a written procedure is becoming something you can carry between agent platforms, see the companion essay: Weekly AI Tools That Matter to Me: Part 13, Week 43. This page is the record; the essay is the read.
This week’s record
Anthropic donated Agent Skills, the open standard for packaging procedures that agents can load, to the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation, which already holds the Model Context Protocol.
- Claude Desktop moved to version 3, which enforces Claude Code managed-settings files found on the computer where claude.ai admin settings apply, adds a staggered release channel for managed fleets, and makes the built-in GitHub connector ask before write tools.
- Anthropic opened a research preview of Claude Duet, a proactive agent app that “checks with you before it acts on your behalf”, by waitlist for US Pro and Max subscribers.
- OpenAI retired administrator-managed sync connectors in ChatGPT Enterprise in favour of real-time apps with content controls, and added an External access page that covers connected apps and Ads account data.
- OpenAI and Google Cloud announced OpenAI models and Codex coming to Model Garden, with OpenAI models to follow in Antigravity and the Gemini Agent.
- Gemini Enterprise made the Antigravity Enterprise Gateway and single-user quota limits generally available, and discontinued Gemini 2.5 Pro for in-country deployments in Canada and Japan.
What changed this week
| Platform | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AnthropicAnnounced (Oct 22)Standards | Agent Skills donated to the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF): name, logo, GitHub organization and the agentskills.io domain; maintained by engineers from Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and others as individuals; proposed roadmap covers versioned releases, a formal proposal process and “security guidance for people who write and install skills”. The vendor reports more than 70 agent platforms integrating the standard | Anthropic |
| Anthropic Claude DesktopReleased, breaking (Oct 20)Admin / agents | v3.1623.0: where claude.ai admin settings apply, a Claude Code managed-settings file on the computer that fails to load “now keeps Code sessions from starting or resuming”, and its local-session ban, saved-password ban and SSH host allowlist now apply too (all marked breaking); SSH allowlists cover jump hosts; third-party deployments gain releaseChannel set to staggered, the new Code tab and nested sessions; isLocalDevMcpEnabled set to false also stops local MCP servers from plugins | Changelog |
| Anthropic Claude DesktopReleased (Oct 22)Admin / connectors | v3.6556.1: installedUpdateEnforcementEnabled and installedUpdateEnforcementHours restart managed devices into an installed version; the built-in GitHub connector asks before every call of issue and pull-request write tools; the Microsoft 365 connector’s read tool asks for approval again where “Always allow” had been chosen; MCP tools that their server marks as needing a person ask only on the in-app card, so scheduled tasks go on without those calls; gateway sessions now request the picked model instead of a newer Opus | Changelog |
| Anthropic Claude DuetResearch preview, waitlist (Oct 21)Agents | A standalone app on iOS, Android and claude.ai where Claude “works as a proactive agent”: a morning brief across connected apps, messages only when something needs attention, tasks that continue while the user is away, actions approved by the auto mode classifier, and a dedicated classifier that rejects sharing the strictest tier of information | Claude |
| Anthropic Claude SecurityPublic beta, Enterprise (Oct 21)Security | Continuous repository scanning, fix tracking, team context, and an API and MCP connection | Claude |
| Google AntigravityReleased (Oct 20)Agents | 2.25.0: plugin badges on managed projects in the sidebar, empty plugin projects hidden, window shortcuts; 3 improvements and 8 fixes | Changelog |
| Google Gemini EnterpriseGA (Oct 16 – 22)Admin / connectors | Antigravity Enterprise Gateway: routes inference from the Antigravity app, CLI and IDEs through a central gateway to “inspect and audit model traffic, enforce custom security and network egress policies”, billed pay-as-you-go through the Agent Platform rather than seat quotas; single-user quota limits per edition and location (Oct 22); citations for custom MCP data stores and Workflow Builder connections to Confluence and Jira Data Center (Oct 16) | Release notes |
| Google Gemini EnterpriseBreaking (Oct 20)Model retirement | Gemini 2.5 Pro discontinued for in-country deployments in Canada and Japan; agents and chats switch automatically to in-country Gemini 3.5 Flash; still available in global, us and eu | Release notes |
| Google WorkspaceRolling outProduct | A Customize hub in the Gemini app bringing skills and more than 40 connected apps into one place, managed by admins under Additional Google services > Gemini (rollout began Oct 13, announced Oct 21); Docs Live voice drafting in the Docs mobile app, on by default where Gemini in Docs is enabled (Oct 21) | Workspace Updates · Docs Live |
| OpenAI (ChatGPT Ads)Launched (Oct 21)Advertising | Expanded to 26 more countries, 89 in total; ads only on Free and Go plans | OpenAI |
| OpenAI / Google CloudAnnounced (Oct 21)Partnership | OpenAI frontier models and Codex coming to Google Cloud Model Garden, purchasable through Google Cloud Marketplace against GCP commitments; OpenAI models “will soon be available in Google Antigravity and the Gemini Agent” | OpenAI |
| OpenAI ChatGPTRolling out (Oct 16 – 21)Product | ChatGPT Slides in Space for eligible Pro, Business and Enterprise users, with export to PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides; GPT-6 Pro update with parallel agents (Oct 16); locked chats behind a PIN or device authentication, still included in Compliance Platform logs for Enterprise (Oct 20); Business workspace settings in Admin Console (Oct 21) | ChatGPT release notes · Business release notes |
| OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise and EduReleased (Oct 16)Admin / connectors | Administrator-managed sync connectors retired: “Use the real-time Google Drive, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams apps”, with new content controls for Drive, Teams and Outlook; an updated External access page for Sign in with ChatGPT, connected apps and Ads account data | Enterprise and Edu release notes |
Late captures in this edition. Several items dated 15 October, the closing day of the previous window, were published after that edition was compiled. Gemini Enterprise made Claude Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5 available in the Gemini Enterprise app once an administrator enables them, pay-as-you-go (Release notes). ChatGPT Enterprise added a Sites admin preview, Sites regional hosting for US and EU data residency, tunnels to private services, and bulk management of up to 25 plugins (Enterprise and Edu release notes). ChatGPT rolled out GPT-Live-1.1 voices and removed the fixed limit on Sites for Plus and Pro. Antigravity 2.24.0 added a redesigned side panel, /compact, and model choice for automations. Claude Code Review became generally available. Claude Desktop v2.42304.2 (19 October) had no user-facing changes.
No changes this week (scanned, nothing net-new)
Scanned for the 16 – 22 October window with no net-new release:
- Claude apps release notes (support centre): one entry, Claude Duet (21 October), recorded above.
- Gemini app release notes: newest entry 13 October.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: newest release batch 6 October.
- chiefmartec: no new dated post since May.
Watching next (Week 44)
- Gemini 4 Argon toggle on by default in Gemini Enterprise from 27 October.
- ChatGPT Enterprise: no new custom GPTs from 26 October.
- Claude Desktop client-certificate fallback warning on 3 November; Unified Claude for all organisations on 10 November; Anthropic Usage Policy in effect 12 November.
- Agent Skills governance at AAIF: first versioned release and the security guidance for skill authors.
- OpenAI models in Antigravity and the Gemini Agent.
How this is compiled. Each edition is assembled from official release notes, changelogs and newsrooms. An AI assistant does the first-pass scan, reading release notes in a browser or through vendor-published Markdown routes, and I review and edit before publishing. Items are checked against the primary source; anything I could not confirm is marked inline. Dates and status reflect what was published as of the current-as-of date and can change.
Corrections and method notes. Spot an error? Tell me and I will fix it in the next edition. Cross-note: the Salesforce agreement to acquire Braze, Bloomreach’s Loomi Connect and ChatGPT Ads’ expansion are recorded in MarTech Watch, Week 43.
AI Watch is compiled and edited by Andrea Veggiani, Head of Cross-Channel Marketing & MarTech Solutions at BitBang.