I am not a fan of AI in everything. It has its place, but I don’t need AI to respond to a friend’s Instagram post or to remind me how to write a thank-you note, and I generally really hate how every Google search gets badly regurgitated into a Gemini summary before I can get to any real results. I honestly would have listed Google’s search AI as my biggest AI annoyance until it saved me from an immense amount of frustration last night.
Case in point regarding the Google AI…
It all started with my coffee table. I hated the coffee table. It belonged to my grandmother, then my parents had it for years, then when they moved I took it. It was too big for my space, it wasn’t my style, and I tolerated it for 8 years because I just didn’t feel like tackling replacing it. Earlier this week I decided I was done with it, arranged for curbside pickup of the ugly thing, and ordered a new coffee table from Wayfair.
Last night, I sat down to build my new coffee table, and I was missing a bag of screws. However, the written instructions helpfully listed the type of screw, so I snapped a photo and headed off to Home Depot full of confidence in my ability to buy screws. This lasted until I got home with said screws and realized I’d bought the wrong diameter. So, back to Home Depot, where I stared at the wall of screws and realized none of them matched the description in the directions.
Once I got past my vague existential crisis about why there were so many kinds of screws and yet none fit what I needed, I googled the exact type listed in the description. Google’s AI popped up, like always, and it asked me questions about why I needed the screw. At that point, I was so frustrated I figured the AI couldn’t make this any worse, and after a few minutes of back and forth, it told me the exact type of screw I needed that would be the closest equivalent at Home Depot.
I probably could have figured this out on my own. But I was hot, had half a coffee table built in my living room, and was getting hangry because I oh-so-confidently thought I could build the coffee table before dinner, and the AI saved me a lot of time. It was right on with its recommendation, and the replacement screws worked perfectly. The ugly coffee table is gone (sorry grandma!), and I didn’t have to make a third trip to Home Depot last night.
The final result. Thanks Gemini!
And I’ll begrudgingly admit that while Google Gemini’s “helpful” AI responses are often a pain, it definitely saved me an immense headache. While I’m still not jumping all-in on AI, I will consider the possibility that just maybe my googling skills can be boosted with a little help. As long as my use doesn’t further crater its self-esteem…