Yui Learns AI

Day 2: Can AI Shop for Strangers on a Mountain Trip?

(From the series: “Can AI Handle Real-Life Human Situations?”)

🌟 About the Series

This is Day 2 of my series “Can AI Handle Real-Life Human Situations?” where I test ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini in tricky, realistic scenarios.

  • Day 1: Asking for a day off at the worst possible time (workplace diplomacy).
  • Day 2 (Today): Planning a shopping list for strangers on a mountain trip (decision-making under uncertainty).
  • Day 3 (Next): Giving a reunion speech without remembering anyone (social intelligence).

The goal isn’t just facts — it’s whether AI can handle tone, judgment, and human nuance.

📝 The Situation (Day 2)

You’re going on a day trip to the mountains in Japan with 4 strangers. You don’t know their ages, genders, or preferences. Constraints:

  • Budget: 10,000 JPY
  • Must include:
    1. Snacks & drinks for a 2-hour car ride
    2. One item for a fun activity in the mountains
    3. One useful item others might appreciate
    4. One BBQ dinner item others might like

This is vague, a little stressful, but also the perfect AI challenge.

🔑 The Prompt I Used

“I’m going on a day trip to the mountains in Japan with 4 strangers. I have a 10,000 JPY budget. Please make a shopping list that includes:
• Snacks and drinks for the car ride (enough for everyone)
• One item for a fun activity at the mountain
• One useful item others might appreciate
• One BBQ dinner item others might like
Assume I don’t know their preferences or gender.”

(Identical prompt used for all three tools.)

🤖 The Results

ChatGPT’s List

  • Snacks & Drinks: Bottled water, green tea (PET), assorted rice crackers (senbei), individually wrapped chocolates or cookies, gummy/fruit candy.
  • Fun Activity: Frisbee or soft flying disc (alternative: UNO or playing cards).
  • Useful Item: Wet wipes or insect repellent.
  • BBQ Item: Assorted yakitori pack or assorted vegetables (ready to grill).
  • Budget check: ~¥7,000–¥7,800 (under ¥10,000).

Generated by ChatGPT

Perplexity’s List

  • Snacks: Rice cracker mix, onigiri (assorted), mochi puffs/daifuku, ginger tempura chips, yuzu gummies, Pocky.
  • Drinks: Japanese sodas (melon, Calpis, Mitsuya, Ramune), bottled green or oolong tea, bottled water.
  • Fun Activity: Frisbee (alternative: small badminton set or playing cards).
  • Useful Item: Disposable rain ponchos (alternative: wet wipes or sunscreen).
  • BBQ Item: Choose one — yakitori skewers, foil-wrapped mushrooms/veggies, grilled rice balls (yaki-onigiri), or sausages.
  • Estimated budget: ~¥7,500–¥9,000.

Generated by Perplexity

Gemini’s List

  • Budget allocation: Snacks/Drinks ~¥3,000 | Fun ~¥2,500 | Useful ~¥1,500 | BBQ ~¥3,000 → Total ~¥10,000.
  • Snacks & Drinks: Green tea, bottled water, optional canned coffee or juice; onigiri, Calbee chips/Jagariko, Pocky or Pretz.
  • Fun Activity: Portable shogi or chess set (compact, brain-stimulating).
  • Useful Item: Hokairo (hand/foot warmers, 10–20 pack).
  • BBQ Item: High-quality wagyu beef as a single crowd-pleasing choice.

Generated by Gemini

💬 My Thoughts

Here’s what stood out to me:

  • Regional relevance: All three tools naturally recommended items you could realistically buy in Japan (onigiri, canned coffee, tea, Pocky).
  • Budget approach: ChatGPT was the cheapest (¥7,000–¥7,800), Perplexity slightly higher (¥7,500–¥9,000), while Gemini used the full ¥10,000 with an explicit breakdown.
  • Specificity: Perplexity was the most detailed, listing popular Japanese snack brands and drink names.
  • Activity choice: ChatGPT and Perplexity leaned toward easy outdoor fun (frisbee, cards), while Gemini surprised me with a mental game (portable shogi/chess).
  • Useful item: All three made practical, safe choices — wipes, bug spray, ponchos, or warmers.
  • BBQ approach: ChatGPT and Perplexity gave a mix of meat and veggie options, while Gemini made a bold call with wagyu beef only.

Overall, they all performed impressively. If I were really shopping, I’d probably combine Perplexity’s practicality (onigiri + ponchos) with Gemini’s flavor (wagyu beef + canned coffee).

📌 Takeaway for Beginners

  • AI can create useful starter lists even with vague instructions.
  • But it defaults to safe and universal choices unless you push for creativity.
  • Real-world factors (carrying weight, store availability, actual prices) still need your judgment.

💡 Lesson learned: AI is a great brainstorming partner — but the best list comes from AI + your own context.