"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."
"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."
A shopper sought an Android-compatible smartwatch and tested four AI shopping assistants: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot. Each AI offered recommendations and different features such as personalized guides, price tracking, and store-calling. ChatGPT's Shopping Research interacted conversationally, collected preferences, and produced a specs comparison and deal links. Overall AI guidance impressed with usefulness but contained mistakes and out-of-date suggestions, sometimes favoring older models. The errors ranged from minor to significant, creating confusion and risk of buying incorrect products despite helpful tools and automation. The new features appeared ahead of the holiday shopping season, promising faster decision-making and local assistance, but hiccups were both amusing and crippling for practical purchases.
Read at The Verge
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