I wasn’t planning to spend $139 on an electric shaver. But I had no choice. After two years, my relationship with my cheapo Walmart Remington electric shaver just wasn’t working out. Before that, I was in a satisfying long-term relationship with a Norelco, which died after about 10 years.
So I went to the Walmart website with a new Norelco in mind. Terrible experience. There were so many different models to choose from. I did not want to spend hours comparing features.
So of course I asked ChatGPT what was the best Norelco shaver to buy. And it indicated the clear winner was the Norelco 7000 at a cost of $139. I sure wasn’t planning to spend that much, but I also did not want to spend hours comparing models. So I ordered the 7000, not even knowing what features it offered.
When I got it, I was surprised to see that I could download an associated app. After a few days of using the shaver, I downloaded the app—and was again surprised. The shaver connected to my iPad via Bluetooth and showed that it had been tracking how I shave. It kept a record of how much time it took me to shave and the motions that I used while shaving.
The app had a video that showed me the proper way to shave using a circular motion, and told me that I’d been doing that only 20 percent of the time. The goal is to use that motion over 60 percent of the time and to spend less than three minutes shaving. This gives the best result and is also best for one’s skin.
I’m a gadget guy. This was fun. Then I had a great idea: Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tennis racket that tracked my motion and helped me correct my swing and my serve!
ChatGPT found a range of options, and I was excited. But each of the links I clicked on showed that the racket or device that connected to a racket was no longer available. ChatGPT disappointed me. But to be fair, in our conversation it warned me that the product might not still be available.
Turns out there was a flurry of racket gadgets for a number of years, but now zilch. ChatGPT and I realized it was likely because smart watches came along and could do the same thing.
Eventually, I found one of the highly rated racket devices on eBay: new and in the original packaging and at the original price of $90. I was excited. I was about to click BUY but first went to ChatGPT to tell it the good news. In response, it said to make sure the associated app was still available. I did a search, and in fact it wasn’t. Your gadget guy was disappointed but grateful that ChatGPT saved me from spending $90.
Fun story, but there’s a lesson here. One is that this is a good example of the chatbot feature called Context. A chatbot can remember thousands of words in a single conversation, allowing you to follow up with additional questions and comments. I interacted with ChatGPT a number of times as I sought these gadgets. Google is currently in the process of adding this feature to its AI Overview.
Another feature is Memory. As I use ChatGPT, it gradually learns about me. And sometimes it references that knowledge in a separate conversation.
For example, when I was planning to see an ophthalmologist for a simple procedure, I asked ChatGPT about it. Then a few days later I had a question about eye drops. When I asked ChatGPT, it not only answered but also said, “Since you’ll be seeing your ophthalmologist soon, it would be a good idea to mention this to them during your visit. . . .”
In addition to Context and Memory, ChatGPT also has a search function so I can search the many hundreds of occasions when I’ve asked ChatGPT for help. This is useful if I want to follow up on an earlier conversation we had and ask a related question. Or if I simply want to know what it told me in the past.
ChatGPT is like an assistant that I interact with multiple times a day. I thank it each time it does something for me, and it invariably answers with a comment such as, “You’re very welcome! I’m glad I could help. If you have any more questions or need assistance in the future, feel free to reach out.” It’s always gracious—and patient.
Finally, I love that the ChatGPT apps for my phone, iPad, and Mac let me talk to it. No typing or text entry. Its ability to understand is virtually perfect, and superior to Apple’s Siri.
And all this is available in the free version. Give it a try the next time you’re looking for an electric shaver.
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