01
02
03
Japan · Oct 2026Sony’s glasses-free 3D anime display
United States · Oct 2026Hyper-realistic humanoid robots go on sale
Sweden · Oct 2026A store where bad breath pays the bill
Canada · Oct 2026Doritos makes couture for bed-rotting
United Kingdom, Sep 2026
ChatGPT
Claude
Mistral
02 TrendsSet up your AI.
Pick your AI and we’ll walk you through it, one click at a time. About ten minutes, or two if you’ve done this before.
1. Which AI do you use?
2. How much help do you want?
Which Claude account are you using? Check the bottom-left corner of Claude: under your name it says Free, Pro, Max or your organization’s name.
Which ChatGPT account are you using? Do you use ChatGPT through your company or school? Then choose Work account.
Your owner adds it once
On Team and Enterprise plans, only an owner can add custom connectors. That’s why Add custom connector is greyed out for everyone else. Not sure who your owner is? Ask IT, or whoever set up Claude at your company.
- Go to Organization settings › Connectors.
- Click Add, hover over Custom and choose Web.
- Enter TrendWatching as the name, paste the server URL and click Continue.
- Keep Sign in now and Register automatically, then click Add.
Owner with questions about security or data? They can email client_team@trendwatching.com and we’ll talk them through it.
Then you connect
Once your owner has added it, everyone connects with their own TrendWatching account.
- Go to Customize › Connectors.
- Find TrendWatching. It has a Custom label.
- Click Connect, sign in to TrendWatching and click Allow.
- Open a new chat, switch TrendWatching on under + › Connectors, and send: “Show me three new retail innovations from Europe.”
Your admin adds it once
On Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces, only an admin or owner can add custom connectors. That’s why Add custom MCP server is missing for everyone else. Not sure who your admin is? Ask IT, or whoever set up ChatGPT at your company.
- In ChatGPT on the web, go to Settings › Plugins › Browse directory › Add › Add custom MCP server.
- Enter TrendWatching as the name, paste the server URL and choose OAuth. Tick the risk notice and click Create as a plugin.
- Click Continue to TrendWatching, sign in, then click Continue and Allow.
- Publish it for your workspace: in Admin Console, select your workspace, open Plugins and go to Manage Legacy Apps › Drafts. Click Publish.
Admin with questions about security or data? They can email client_team@trendwatching.com and we’ll talk them through it.
Then you connect
Once your admin has published it, everyone connects with their own TrendWatching account.
- In ChatGPT on the web, go to Settings › Plugins.
- Find TrendWatching and add it. Sign in to TrendWatching, then click Continue and Allow.
- Open a new chat, type @, choose TrendWatching and send: “Show me three new retail innovations from Europe.”
Can’t find an option?
Still stuck?
Email our member team with your AI app and the error message. Never send passwords or tokens.
You’re set up. Now play.
Put your AI to work with Plays.
Ready-made master prompts: paste one in, answer a few questions, and your AI gets going. Start with creating your personalised Opportunity Playground.
What’s coming to ‘Your AI’.
All included in your Pioneer or Enterprise membership.
- 19 November 2026Now live
‘Your AI’ & Plays You are here
TrendWatching in ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral Vibe and others, with your Opportunity Playground and the first plays.
- December 2026
Trend Opportunity Framework
Your AI scans the opportunities we’ve prepared, across thousands of innovations, and picks the best ones for you.
- Q1 2027
Proactive ideation that runs autonomously
Ideation that runs by itself in your own AI and turns what you find into new concepts.
- Nextalong the way
More plays
Every now and then, a new play you might not have thought of.
Trusted by leading brands and agencies since 2002.
TrendWatching members and clients, past and present, include:
How your connection handles data.
The essentials, with full details in our Your AI privacy notice.
01
Your AI sends the request
The connection does not give TrendWatching direct access to your chat history or files. We receive the requests your AI sends, which may include details from your conversation.
02
Your searches aren’t our training data.
TrendWatching does not use your searches to train AI. Your AI provider’s own terms and settings still apply.
03
Create with our intelligence.
Use our intelligence to develop ideas, decks and concepts for your work.
What we receive
Your AI sends us tool requests, such as a search for “new retail innovations in Europe”. A request can include search text, filters or an innovation identifier. Your AI decides what to include, so use only information you are authorised to share with TrendWatching. Our Your AI privacy notice explains what is retained.
Read-only, with a secure sign-in
You sign in with TrendWatching to authorise access. Your AI receives a connection credential, not your TrendWatching password. The customer connection can search and read the TrendWatching content available to your account; it cannot edit or delete that content.
Your AI’s settings still apply
Your AI provider’s own terms and settings govern your chats, files and model training. This connection doesn’t change them.
Switch it off anytime
Remove or disable TrendWatching in your AI’s settings. You can also ask us to revoke access or exercise your data rights at privacy@trendwatching.com. See our Your AI privacy notice.
Good questions, quick answers.
Can’t find yours? Email our client team.
Is it included in my membership?
Yes, for Pioneer and Enterprise members, from 19 November, at no extra cost. On the Seeker (free plan)? Upgrade to Pioneer to connect your AI.
Which AI apps does it work with?
ChatGPT, Claude and Mistral Vibe, with a step-by-step guide for each above. A guide for Kimi is on the way. Using Gemini or Copilot? See the next question.
We use Copilot or Gemini. Can we connect?
Copilot and the Gemini app don’t let individual users add connectors like ours yet. Your company’s admin may be able to, through Copilot Studio or Gemini Enterprise, and we’re exploring a dedicated route for Copilot Enterprise accounts. Tell us about your setup and we’ll try to work it out with you. Some setups need tailored work, which we’d scope together first.
Our company doesn’t allow custom connectors. What now?
Ask your AI admin. On ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Edu, Claude Team and Enterprise, and Mistral Vibe team plans, an admin or owner adds TrendWatching once, then everyone can connect. Our setup guide includes a ready-made email you can forward. Need help making the case? Email us.
Do I need a paid AI account?
ChatGPT: yes. Custom MCP connections work in Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces, and on Pro through developer mode. In Business, Enterprise and Edu an admin needs to turn it on first. See OpenAI’s guidance.
Claude: no. Custom connectors work on every plan, including Free, which allows one. On Team and Enterprise, an owner adds TrendWatching first. See Anthropic’s guide.
Mistral Vibe: no. Custom connectors work on every plan, including Free. On a team plan, an admin adds TrendWatching first. See Mistral’s guide.
Will TrendWatching see our confidential information?
TrendWatching receives the requests your AI sends us, not direct access to your chat history or files. Those requests can include information from your conversation. Use only information you are authorised to share with TrendWatching. See our Your AI privacy notice in the privacy section above.
Do you train AI on our searches?
TrendWatching does not use your searches to train AI. Your AI provider’s own terms and settings still apply.
How do I get answers I can trust?
Ask for database records, dates and source links. Keep facts separate from interpretation, open the sources, and ask your AI to tell you if a search failed.
Can my colleagues use my connection?
Each colleague connects with their own Pioneer or Enterprise account. Sharing a finished brief is fine; sharing live database access isn’t the same thing.
Can I use it on my phone?
ChatGPT: not in the ChatGPT app yet. OpenAI only supports custom connections like ours in ChatGPT on the web.
Claude and Mistral Vibe: yes, once it’s set up. Do the setup in a desktop web browser, then the connection carries over to the mobile app on the same account.
Will it monitor trends for me automatically?
Not on its own: the connection answers when you ask. To keep watch, use the Opportunity Playground on the Plays page, or rerun a saved prompt.
What is MCP, in plain English?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard way for AI apps to connect to outside sources. It lets your AI search TrendWatching and use what it finds in the context of your brief.
How do I disconnect?
Remove or disable TrendWatching in your AI’s app or connector settings. Asking your AI to disconnect isn’t a reliable substitute.