The Commercialization of Artificial Intelligence

This image was generated by Microsoft Copilot

Home Assistants

Amazon Alexa is among the earliest and best-known AI technologies. One idea behind its development was that increasing adoption would encourage users to spend more on Amazon products. For example, Alexa sometimes suggests reordering my favorite coffee and offers to add it to my shopping cart. However, I typically decline, since my brand loyalty depends mostly on what’s on sale. While I buy many items from Amazon due to good prices and free shipping, Alexa’s suggestions rarely influence my purchasing decisions.

This image was generated by Microsoft Copilot

The Smart Companion

Although Amazon Alexa can support two-way conversations, most of my research is done with Copilot AI. While other AI assistants, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Grok, are available, I opted for Copilot because it was pre-installed on my computer and seamlessly integrates with other Windows applications.

Since these AI tools can display responses directly on my monitor, they’re handy for tasks like comparing similar products, troubleshooting technical issues, retrieving specifications, and refining my writing.

I’m uncertain how Microsoft profits from Copilot; perhaps its purpose is to encourage users to stick with Windows rather than switching to Mac or Linux.

AI generated watch faces (Photo credit: Walter Shillington)

The Smart Watch

Last month, I received a UAUE T70-AI Smart Watch sample to review. Given its modest $21 price tag, I didn’t have high expectations — it was marketed as a basic device for telling time and tracking heart rate and oxygen levels. To my surprise, it actually featured a speaker and microphone for handling phone calls. While I doubt I’ll ever use that function, others might appreciate it.

As I wrapped up my review, I spotted an AI button on the watch, designed for creating custom watch faces. Curious, I pressed it and spoke, “A small red fox.” The watch transcribed my words, then after about a minute, displayed a charming image of a red fox with the time layered over it.

Impressed, I tried another prompt: “A professional wrestler with a broken nose.” After a similar wait, the fox was swapped out for the stern face of a wounded wrestler. I ended up spending much of the afternoon experimenting with this fun feature.

Clearly, such a low-cost gadget wasn’t doing the heavy lifting — my requests were sent to an external AI service, which transformed my spoken descriptions into new watch faces. The manufacturer almost certainly partnered with this service provider for a fee.

Ultimately, UAUE stands to gain the most from this innovation. Why? Because the next time you’re shopping for a smartwatch, you’ll likely want one that lets you create unique watch faces.

The EarFun Air Pro 4+ Earbuds (Photo credit: Walter Shillington)

Earbuds that Translate

My most recent review focused on the Air Pro 4+ earbuds from EarFun. This $99 model features high-quality speakers, four active noise-cancellation modes, support for various Hi-Res codecs, and an array of additional capabilities.

However, the market is crowded with competitors offering earbuds of similar quality and price. To distinguish their product, EarFun partnered with a prominent U.S. technology company specializing in AI-driven language translation services.

My evaluation began by selecting the AI service and specifying English and French as target languages. After speaking a sentence in English, the text was displayed on my phone, followed by its French translation. Shortly thereafter, the French version was audibly rendered through the earbuds.

Later, I instructed Alexa to provide a weather forecast in French, insisting that she use a French accent. The French text appeared on the phone, accompanied by a precise English translation. The English version of the forecast was then played through the earbuds. The same procedure was later applied to request a forecast in Mexican Spanish.

Although EarFun incurs costs to access this translation service, the feature differentiates its product from competitors and is likely to impact its sales positively.

Listening as a sentence in French is translated to English (Self portrait)

Overall Impression

Right now, I suspect that companies creating AI assistants and companions aren’t making substantial profits despite their efforts. Maybe that will shift in the future. Meanwhile, manufacturers can use artificial intelligence in their products, adding extra value. This is where things get really interesting.