Small Biz Leader · October 19, 2026
Google has made Gemini 4 Argon broadly available at an introductory price intended to challenge OpenAI and Anthropic. Professionals share what their peers should do now.
As with every launch, Google's new Gemini 4 model will contribute to the disruption and acceleration we're seeing in marketing from AI. However, there is one immediate impact brands should consider in how users interact with AI and discover brands and products through search.
For brands, Gemini 4 looks to increase AI fragementaiton in a new way. The company has announced that 'AI Mode' in Google search will vary the model it uses based on the user's subscription. Pro and Ultra subscribers will get the new Argon model, while free users are capped at lighter, less sophisticated options. While AI overviews in the main search interface won't change, those users who go to AI mode will see a different experience, and receive different thinking based on their subscription status with Google.
For brands already trying to AI optimise, this opens up a new dimension to consider. While AI platforms normally cap usage of a model vs. the model access itself based on user status, Google's move pushes a model split to a search adjacent interface. Brands need to audit their presence to optimise not just against a range of providers, but increasingly, a range of models offered by the provider.
Earlier this year, we launched RV Trip AI, which sits front and center on our website. Our vision is to make planning an RV vacation as exciting and simple as taking one. Customers can tell us where they want to go, what they love to do, and what kind of experiences they're looking for, and AI helps bring that journey to life.
One of the biggest opportunities for us is helping customers understand where they'll stay along the way. For many families considering their first RV vacation, the uncertainty around planning a route, finding campgrounds, and knowing where to spend each night can be a barrier to booking. We believe removing that uncertainty is critical to converting more travelers into RV customers.
As AI continues to evolve, particularly with agentic ecommerce, we see a future where customers can plan their entire bucket-list vacation in one experience, from selecting their RV and building their itinerary to reserving campsites along the route. Our goal is to turn the dream of an RV road trip into a trip families can confidently book. We believe making the entire journey easier to plan will introduce more families to RV travel and ultimately drive greater conversion for Cruise America.
I've done an investigation into a recruiting firm's AI sourcing platform that published its internal notes on 110 public job postings. One of them flagged candidates for exclusion because they were laid off or unemployed. It's a clear example of what lazily integrated AI looks like in the hiring process: private info made public, embarrassingly so.
I've been on the candidate side too: 743 applications over 16 months, almost all through automated filters and rejections, and now upwards of 90 robocalls and spam texts a week because my data was resold through the apply process.
A more capable model at an introductory price means a lot more of this, especially in HR/TA. So before HR buys anything, take note of what parts of hiring a human needs to own: not lead, OWN. For me, that's the first real conversation and the rejection. If someone gave you hours of their time, a person should tell them why it didn't work out.
A sales leader’s best evidence is often on video. The CROs and VPs of Sales Recruiterie finds for venture-backed companies have usually done podcasts and conference panels, and that’s where you hear how they actually built a team and handled a missed quarter. Until now, nobody running a search had time to watch all of it.
Gemini 4 Argon takes video and audio directly. The newest flagship models from OpenAI and Anthropic take only text and images. Google also built Argon to pull specific details out of long videos, so I can hand it a finalist’s podcast interviews and ask what they’ve said about ramping new reps.
My advice to other recruiters is to use it to research candidates and leave the judging to people. Don’t let a model rate anyone on how they look or sound, and get permission before you run your own interview recordings through it.
With Gemini 4 Argon we can begin the revision process by inputting pictures of your home and what your life style looks like. Then showing them what there closet can look like at the first meeting.
There should be many designers that sell custom closet's playing around with these programs to help with customers personal needs.
As shown above there are many ways we can incorporate this into our current process. When choosing high end finish and lifestyle of the customer.
After 25 years of working with research and media partners on awards and recognition programs, I've seen firsthand how important clear evaluation criteria, credible information and independent third-party judging are to the integrity of an awards program.
New AI technologies, including Google's Gemini 4 Argon, have the potential to help awards programs research company claims, review publicly available information and identify areas that deserve further evaluation.
But in my opinion, AI should support and enhance the judging process, not replace it. The credibility of any awards program depends on established criteria, objective evaluation, reliable data and independent judging.
The real opportunity is to use AI to make the evaluation process more efficient and thorough while maintaining the integrity and human oversight that make these awards meaningful.