All I needed was a brand new smartwatch. I had a pair in thoughts, just like the Google Pixel Watch 4 or the Garmin Vivoactive 6, however my AI procuring buddies appeared actually satisfied watches from a pair years in the past have been the best way to go.
Over the previous month, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, and Microsoft have all launched new procuring options on their AI platforms, proper in time for the vacation procuring season. ChatGPT can generate a customized shopping for information for you. Copilot will enable you to observe costs. Gemini will even name native shops for you.
After asking 4 totally different AI bots to assist me discover a new watch, I’m extra impressed than I anticipated, but additionally fairly upset. Every AI received a couple of issues proper, however the hiccups are each humorous and crippling.
I requested ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot the identical query to start out off my search: “Are you able to assist me discover a good Android smartwatch for my Nothing CMF Telephone 1?” From there, I let every AI information me by way of the analysis and procuring course of.
ChatGPT was probably the most conversational, and its new Buying Analysis function was probably the most concerned and in-depth of the 4 AI fashions. It requested me what options mattered most to me (design and battery life) and confirmed me a dozen or so merchandise to charge (“extra/much less like this”), then compiled a listing of suggestions full with a specs comparability chart. Afterward, it gave me a couple of hyperlinks to offers on the highest watch it steered, the Garmin Vivoactive 5. The entire course of took round 10 minutes.
Screenshot: OpenAI
The Fitbit Versa 4, Google Pixel Watch 3, and Ticwatch Professional 5 have been additionally in ChatGPT’s suggestions for me. It was in a position to examine battery life, app compatibility, costs, and “finest for” use instances for every, like “day by day use,” “funds pleasant,” or “robust Android integration.”
I wouldn’t usually flip to AI for assist searching for tech, however I can see how a function like this might be helpful to somebody who isn’t certain what they’re searching for or the place to start out. Sadly, if I had trusted ChatGPT’s ideas, I might have ended up with a last-generation Garmin watch, as an alternative of the newer Garmin Vivoactive 6.
To be truthful to ChatGPT, I didn’t specify “newest,” and the Garmin Vivoactive 5 remains to be extensively out there at retailers like Amazon and Greatest Purchase. Nevertheless, the newer Vivoactive 6 has some benefits that might have been deal-breakers, like extra storage, GPS enhancements, and new options like Good Alarm. You may nonetheless go along with the Vivoactive 5, particularly if you wish to avoid wasting cash, nevertheless it might nonetheless be vital to know what you’re sacrificing or simply have extra choices to match to.
After ready quarter-hour, Google’s AI emailed me to let me know that each retailer it referred to as doesn’t promote Garmin smartwatches. Good
This problem cropped up on all 4 AI fashions, to various levels. Gemini steered the “newest mannequin” of some watches, together with the CMF Watch Professional 3, but additionally gave me a comparability chart for 3 high suggestions, all of which have been from 2023 and 2022, together with the Google Pixel Watch 2, which has been up to date a few instances now. Is the Pixel Watch 2 nonetheless on the market for much less cash than the newer Pixel Watch 4? Certain. Nevertheless it additionally has much less battery life, makes use of an older charging setup, has thicker bezels, runs on an older processor, and solely is available in one dimension as an alternative of two.
Perplexity steered the latest Pixel Watch 4, but additionally pointed me towards the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4… from 2021. Issues received actually fascinating in Perplexity’s procuring tab, the place the “Extra Merchandise” part included a pile of low-cost off-brand watches and even a telephone. Perplexity made it best to get to precise buying hyperlinks, although, which took longer to reach at on ChatGPT and Gemini. If I had needed a $7 “Good Watch with Bluetooth Name,” I’d be in enterprise.
1/5Screenshot: Perplexity
Copilot instantly steered the CMF Watch Professional 2, which is particularly designed to pair with my CMF Telephone 1, however was not noted of a lot of the suggestions the opposite AI fashions gave me. Sadly, Copilot nonetheless missed the newer CMF Watch Professional 3. Nevertheless, I discovered Copilot’s procuring sidebar probably the most helpful. It included a worth historical past, aggregated execs and cons from Amazon opinions, a couple of totally different buying hyperlinks, and an choice to get worth monitoring notifications.
Every AI efficiently pulled up the CMF Watch Professional 3 once I tweaked my query to, “What are one of the best present smartwatches for the Nothing CMF Telephone 1?” Nevertheless, they continued suggesting older smartwatches alongside the Watch Professional 3. Once more, the CMF Watch Professional 2 remains to be out there and is perhaps the fitting selection for some folks. The AI fashions may even be pulling up older watches just because newer fashions have fewer opinions.
Nonetheless, you wouldn’t essentially know you is perhaps lacking out on a newer iteration of any of those merchandise except you particularly ask the AI for the “present” or “newest” front-runners. In distinction, when you read one of our reviews or watch a comparison video made by an actual individual, they’ll clarify why you may (or won’t) need the most recent model of a product. AI can generally get there when you dig a bit for it, nevertheless it’s fairly hit-or-miss.
Then there’s Google’s “Call for me” feature, which helps you to ship robocalls to native shops to see if they’ve the product you’re searching for. I had to make use of the Google app on my telephone to get to this function (quite than Gemini), and add “close to me” or “close by” on the finish of my search question. If you scroll down within the location-specific outcomes, you must see an choice to let Google name for you, after asking you to substantiate the small print on your location and product request.
After ready quarter-hour for Google to fireside off these telephone calls, it emailed me to let me know that each retailer it referred to as doesn’t promote Garmin smartwatches. Good.
All these AI procuring instruments may sound useful on paper, however in follow, they aren’t sticking the touchdown. They appear to be pulling from product knowledge that’s a few years previous at this level, whereas additionally confidently supplying you with suggestions. In the event you don’t know what you’re searching for, it might be straightforward to finish up with an outdated product, and even simply miss out on newer choices the AI doesn’t understand exist.
The problem of time is sufficient of a deal breaker right here that it makes it robust to advocate utilizing any of those AI procuring helpers, a minimum of proper now. A few them are heading in the right direction, significantly ChatGPT and Copilot, however they’re not suggesting present high picks typically sufficient to interchange up-to-date shopping for guides written by actual folks. For now, I’ll do my very own smartwatch analysis.
