My AI shopping assistants are stuck in the past

I just wanted a new smartwatch. I had some thoughts in mind like the Google Pixel Watch 4 or the Garmin Vivoactive 6, but my AI shopping friends seemed really convinced that watches from a few years ago were suitable.

In the past month, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, and Microsoft have all introduced new shopping features to their AI platforms, just in time for the holiday shopping season. ChatGPT can create a personalized buying guide for you. Copilot will help you keep track of prices. Gemini will also call local shops for you.

After asking four different AI bots to help me find a new watch, I was more impressed than I expected, but also quite disappointed. Every AI gets some things right, but the hiccups are both funny and frustrating.

I asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot the same question to start 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 purchasing process.

ChatGPT was the most interactive, 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 specs comparison charts. Next, it gave me some links to deals on its top recommended watch, the Garmin Vivoactive 5. The entire process took about 10 minutes.

The Fitbit Versa 4, Google Pixel Watch 3, and Ticwatch Pro 5 were also among ChatGPIT’s recommendations for me. It was able to compare battery life, app compatibility, prices, and “best” use cases for each, such as “daily use,” “budget friendly,” or “strong Android integration.”

I wouldn’t normally turn to AI for help with tech purchases, 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 might have purchased a previous generation Garmin watch instead of the latest 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 new Vivoactive 6 has some benefits that could have been deal-breakers, like more storage, GPS improvements, and new features like smart alarms. You can still go with the Vivoactive 5, especially if you want to save some money, but it may still be important to know what you’re sacrificing or whether you have more options to compare.

This problem surfaced to varying degrees on all four AI models. Gemini suggested the “latest models” of some watches, including the CMF Watch Pro 3, but also gave me a comparison chart for three top recommendations, all of which were from 2023 and 2022, including the Google Pixel Watch 2, which has been updated a few times now. Is the Pixel Watch 2 still available for a lower price than the new Pixel Watch 4? Sure. But it also has shorter battery life, uses an older charging setup, has thicker bezels, runs on an older processor, and comes in only one size instead of two.

Perplexity suggested the latest Pixel Watch 4, but also pointed me towards the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4… from 2021. Things got really interesting in Perplexity’s Shopping tab, where the “More Products” section included a stack of cheap off-brand watches and even a phone. However, Tangle made it easier to access the actual purchase link, which took longer to reach on ChatGPT and Gemini. If I wanted a $7 “smart watch with Bluetooth calls,” I’d be in business.

Copilot immediately suggested the CMF Watch Pro 2, which is specifically designed to pair with my CMF Phone 1, but it was left out in most of the recommendations given to me by other AI models. Unfortunately, Copilot still ignores the recent CMF Watch Pro 3. However, I found Copilot’s Shopping sidebar most useful. This included price history, pros and cons gathered from Amazon reviews, a few different shopping links, and the option to receive price tracking notifications.

Every AI successfully pulled off the CMF Watch Pro 3 when I changed my question to, “What are the best current smartwatches for the Nothing CMF Phone 1?” However, he continued to recommend older smartwatches with the Watch Pro 3. Again, the CMF Watch Pro 2 is still available and may be the right choice for some people. AI models may be holding back older watches as well as newer models have fewer reviews.

Still, unless you specifically ask the AI ​​about the “current” or “latest” front-runner, you won’t know that you’re missing out on the latest version of any of these products. Conversely, if you read one of our reviews or watch a comparison video made by a real person, they’ll explain why you might (or might not) want the latest version of a product. AI can sometimes get there if you put a little effort into it, but it’s very hit or miss.

Then there’s Google’s “Call for Me” feature, which lets you send robocalls to local stores to see if they have the product you’re looking for. I had to use the Google app on my phone (instead of Gemini) to access this feature, and add “near me” or “nearby” to the end of my search query. When you scroll down through the location-specific results, you should see an option for Google to make the call for you, asking you to confirm your location and the details of your product request.

After waiting 15 minutes for Google to hang up on those phone calls, he emailed me to tell me that every store he called no longer sells Garmin smartwatches. Excellent.

All these AI shopping tools may sound helpful on paper, but in practice, they are not succeeding. They appear to be using product data that is a few years old at this point, while still confidently giving you recommendations. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be easy to skip over an older product, or even miss new options that the AI ​​doesn’t even know about.

The timing issue is enough of a deal breaker here, making it hard to recommend using any of these AI shopping assistants, at least right now. Some of them are on the right track, notably ChatGPT and Copilot, but they’re not meant to replace the latest buying guides written by real people, suggesting the current top picks. For now, I’ll do my own smartwatch research.