Artificial Sweetener, Your Morning Dose of Real-Life AI

Because a little artificial intelligence makes everything smoother.

So I was checking out The Verge this morning and saw Google just rolled out AI that literally calls stores for you. The Verge reported it can browse products, compare prices, and handle checkout. But here's what caught my attention. This isn't some futuristic demo. It's launching now, and it changes how you shop for anything that requires research.

Let me break down what actually matters from today's AI news.

Google's AI Will Call Stores So You Don't Have To

What Happened:

Google announced three new shopping features according to The Verge. First, conversational search that understands "find me a stroller under $300 with good safety ratings" instead of making you type 15 keyword variations. Second, agentic checkout that can complete purchases across multiple sites. Third, and this is wild, an AI that phones stores to check stock and pricing for you.

Rolling out gradually to Google Shopping users. No special app needed.

Abe's Take:

Look, The Rundown covered this as another AI shopping tool. But they're missing the daily life angle here. This is about getting back the 2-3 hours you spend researching big purchases.

Here's the thing. You know how you open 47 browser tabs comparing car seats or researching which dishwasher doesn't break after a year? And then you still have to call three stores to check if they actually have it in stock? That research time is gone now.

The phone-calling feature is what sets this apart. According to The Verge, the AI contacts stores during business hours and reports back. So you're not stuck on hold during your lunch break or making calls while kids are screaming in the background.

Real-Life Application:

This works best for specific, high-stakes purchases. Think appliances, furniture, baby gear, anything where you need to verify availability before driving across town.

Parents could use this for researching cribs or car seats without falling down the review rabbit hole at midnight. Busy professionals might use it for home office equipment or gifts where you actually care about getting the right thing.

The part The Verge didn't emphasize: you'll need a Google account and it only works for participating retailers. So your local mom-and-pop shop probably isn't in the system yet.

Fair warning: this requires trusting Google with your shopping preferences and payment info if you use the checkout feature. Setup is minimal but you'll want to review privacy settings.

What This Means for You:

If you want to try this: Open Google Shopping on your phone. Type a detailed request like you're asking a friend for advice. Something like "comfortable office chair under $400 that won't hurt my back."

Skip the generic searches. The AI works better with specifics. Instead of "good running shoes," try "running shoes for flat feet, size 10, under $150."

My advice? Test it with something you were already planning to research. See if it actually saves you time versus your usual Amazon scroll and Reddit deep-dive.

Spotify Remembers Your Audiobook So You Don't Have To

What Happened:

Spotify launched AI-generated audiobook recaps according to The Verge. Hit the Recap button on English-language audiobooks and it summarizes where you left off. Shows up automatically in the iOS app. Included with Premium, no extra cost.

Abe's Take:

This solves a specific, annoying problem. You start an audiobook during your commute. Life happens. You come back two weeks later and have no idea what chapter you're on or who half the characters are.

The Verge mentioned this is automatic for some books. But based on how audiobook apps usually work, this probably means popular titles get priority. Your obscure sci-fi novel from 1987 might not have a recap yet.

While other newsletters are covering this as just another AI feature, the real story is about interrupted attention spans. We're all listening to books while doing three other things. This acknowledges that reality.

Real-Life Application:

Perfect for parents who listen during school pickup, workout sessions, or whenever kids aren't demanding attention. You can actually finish books instead of restarting chapter one five times.

The catch? iOS only right now. Android users are waiting. And it's English-language books, so if you're learning Spanish through audiobooks, this won't help yet.

This works if you already have Spotify Premium and use their audiobook feature. If you're using Audible or Apple Books, you're out of luck.

What This Means for You:

If you want to test this: Open a book you abandoned weeks ago. Tap Recap. See if the summary actually helps you jump back in or if you still need to rewind 30 minutes anyway.

Try it with fiction first. Nonfiction recaps are probably less useful since you're after specific information anyway, not plot details.

ChatGPT Gets Personality Options (Finally)

What Happened:

OpenAI released GPT-5.1 with customizable personality presets according to The Verge. You can now set it to be warmer, more professional, concise, or detailed. Available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers at $20/month.

Abe's Take:

About time. Look, we've been using the same monotone AI voice for everything from helping kids with homework to drafting professional emails. It never made sense.

The Verge reported this is warmer and has more personality options. But here's what matters for daily use. You can set different tones for different tasks instead of getting corporate-speak when you ask for dinner ideas.

TechCrunch covered the technical upgrade. But the practical angle is simpler. Patient teacher mode for homework help. Concise professional for work emails. Casual conversational for brainstorming.

Real-Life Application:

Parents could set it to patient teacher mode for homework help, then switch to concise professional when drafting work emails during naptime. The tone shift actually matters when you're context-switching all day.

This could change how you use AI for family vs work tasks. Instead of one generic assistant, you get something that adapts.

Fair warning: you need ChatGPT Plus. The free version doesn't get personality options. Setup takes about 5 minutes to configure your preferred settings.

What This Means for You:

If you want to try this: Go to ChatGPT settings. Look for personality or tone options. Set up 2-3 presets for your most common tasks.

Test it by asking the same question in different modes. "Help me write a birthday party invite" in casual mode versus professional mode. See which output actually sounds like you.

Skip this if you're not already paying for ChatGPT Plus. The free version works fine for basic tasks.

Reality Check: The iPhone AI Partnership You Need to Know About

Here's what to watch out for. The Verge reported Apple is using a custom version of Google Gemini to power Apple Intelligence. This is huge for Siri, which has been basically useless for years.

But this only makes sense if you're in the Apple ecosystem. iPhone, iPad, Mac. You need iOS 18.2 or later. And you'll need to enable Apple Intelligence in settings.

The catch? This is rolling out gradually. Your phone might not have it yet even with the latest update. And based on how Apple usually handles AI features, expect regional limitations. Some countries won't get this for months.

Not worth it if you're just using Siri for timers and weather. But if you actually want voice control for smart home devices or better natural language commands, this could finally make Siri competitive with Alexa and Google Assistant.

What to Do About It

If you want to test Google's shopping AI: Try it this weekend with something you were planning to buy anyway. Compare the time spent versus your usual research process. See if it actually saves you an hour or just adds another app to check.

For Spotify recaps: Next time you pick up an abandoned audiobook, use the recap instead of rewinding. Track whether you actually stay engaged or still feel lost.

For ChatGPT personalities: Set up one preset for work, one for personal. Use it for a week. See if the tone actually makes the output more useful or if it's just a novelty.

My setup: I'm testing Google Shopping for home office equipment I need to replace. Will report back if it actually finds better deals than my usual browse-Amazon-read-Wirecutter approach.

Want to stay ahead of AI, not the hype, just the real tech quietly changing how we live, work, and parent? Join our free AI Advantage community here:The AI Advantage Community. Thanks for reading, Abe.