Google has big plans for you holiday shoppingin particular the new set Artificial Intelligence Tools designed to make it less stressful. The tech giant has filled its platform with Methods based on artificial intelligence find and buy products. So, I decided to give them a test while looking for a gift for my wife.
Fashionable hair care products always look good. I meant the Oribe Gold Lust serum. This is a hair care gift set that exudes luxury, but I was sold on other ideas. I thought that if new tools could help me buy a luxury hair care kit without the usual hassles, then maybe it might actually be worth trusting AI with other holiday gifts.
Conversation in AI mode
Traditionally, shopping on Google Search has felt like trying to climb a wall while being bombarded with sponsored products. You may get the product you were looking for, but I rarely used it just to check prices. But Google has promised that AI shopping will be a more interactive and consistent experience.
I opened AI Mode and asked for an unusual hair care gift set for my wife. Right off the bat I had four luxurious options, including the Oribe Gold Lust set right in the center.
I was impressed that it showed so much information at once, including current prices from multiple retailers updated in real time via a shopping graph, as well as reviews and differences between available Oribe packages. It was certainly much faster than scrolling through a long list of harikara products, although any curation, human or AI, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Agent at work
The AI Mode shopping guide takes things to a whole other level. When you select a product, a “Track Prices” button will appear below it. Supposedly, you can set price limits and the AI will monitor the product. When it reaches the threshold with an eligible seller, Google will send you a notification. Then, if that merchant supports this option, the AI agent will complete the purchase for you.
For experimental purposes, I entered a target price, set it where it already was, and gave Google my permission to buy the item. If I did all my holiday shopping this way, I'd want to take as few steps as possible.
It took a few hours, but I received a message about the hair oil from Google and asked if I wanted to buy it. As a test, I said yes and Google opened a checkout page with all my details. I didn't want to make the purchase at that moment, but if I had confirmed the product, shipping address, and payment method, it would have been on its way to me.
Call for registration
Not all of Google's new AI shopping features work in AI mode. If you're using regular searches for certain types of products, you'll see an interesting “Let Google Call” option. Click that button and you won't have to wait for an online order or face disappointment when the store doesn't have what you're looking for. Google's artificial intelligence will call stores near you and check.
I had to answer a few questions about what Oribe product I wanted and indicate my location. Then all that was left was to confirm my email address and the request was sent.
If Google's use of artificial intelligence to call stores sounds familiar, that's because the tool uses an updated version of the same Duplex technology that Google has been using (to mixed reviews) for years. About half an hour later I had an email waiting for me with a list of nearby beauty and health stores and a summary of what they said about product availability.
The information was more reliable than anything I could gather from online listings alone. And most importantly, there was no additional effort on my part. I now had a clear plan of where to shop locally if I wanted instant gratification.
The whole test left me feeling relieved. Real holiday shopping, where you're juggling preferences, budgets, authenticity concerns, and limited supplies, has always been something of a seasonal side hustle. This experiment showed me a relatively painless alternative. The AI mode helped find gifts, and the agent's cash register could eliminate the chaos of trying to catch a sale at the right moment. Or I could have Duplex call and find a local source.
In other words, Google's AI has taken over the most annoying and tedious aspects of buying things, while still leaving me the power to decide what and how to get it.
If AI tools can truly adapt to the way people want to shop and help them without making it feel like they're taking over the entire process, I'm a little optimistic about the future of shopping.
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