All I wanted was a new smartwatch. I had a couple in mind, like the Google Pixel Watch 4 or the Garmin Vivoactive 6, but my AI shopping buddies seemed really convinced watches from a couple years ago were the way to go.
Over the past month, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, and Microsoft have all introduced new shopping features on their AI platforms, right in time for the holiday shopping season. ChatGPT can generate a personalized buying guide for you. Copilot will help you track prices. Gemini will even call local stores for you.
After asking four different AI bots to help me find a new watch, I’m more impressed than I expected, but also pretty disappointed. Each AI got a few things right, but the hiccups are both funny and crippling.
I asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot the same question to start off my search: “Can you help me find a good Android smartwatch for my Nothing CMF Phone 1?” From there, I let each AI guide me through the research and shopping process.
ChatGPT was the most conversational, and its new Shopping Research feature was the most involved and in-depth of the four AI models. It asked me what features mattered most to me (design and battery life) and showed me a dozen or so products to rate (“more/less like this”), then compiled a list of recommendations complete with a specs comparison chart. Afterward, it gave me a few links to deals on the top watch it suggested, the Garmin Vivoactive 5. The whole process took around 10 minutes.
Screenshot: OpenAI
The Fitbit Versa 4, Google Pixel Watch 3, and Ticwatch Pro 5 were also in ChatGPT’s recommendations for me. It was able to compare battery life, app compatibility, prices, and “best for” use cases for each, like “daily use,” “budget friendly,” or “strong Android integration.”
I wouldn’t normally turn to AI for help shopping for tech, but I can see how a feature like this could be useful to someone who isn’t sure what they’re looking for or where to start. Unfortunately, if I had trusted ChatGPT’s suggestions, I could have ended up with a last-generation Garmin watch, instead of the more recent Garmin Vivoactive 6.
To be fair to ChatGPT, I didn’t specify “latest,” and the Garmin Vivoactive 5 is still widely available at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. However, the newer Vivoactive 6 has some advantages that could have been deal-breakers, like more storage, GPS improvements, and new features like Smart Alarm. You might still go with the Vivoactive 5, especially if you want to save some money, but it could still be important to know what you’re sacrificing or just have more options to compare to.
After waiting 15 minutes, Google’s AI emailed me to let me know that every store it called doesn’t sell Garmin smartwatches. Perfect
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