Forget Google searches — these 7 AI prompts help me find exactly what I need

(Image credit: Shutterstock) There was a time when typing all of my geeky, gaming, and vacation inquiries into Google was a daily occurrence.Once a lightbulb came on over my head and compelled me to look up the best home office upgrades, the most up-to-date news about varied topics, and gaming tech that made me want to burn a hole in my wallet, I’d go to Google to find all the information I desired. With the inclusion of AI overviews and the tried-and-true tradition of pages full of links, I’ve been slowly moving away from relying on Google and doing all my searches with chatbots.Thanks to the AI tools I’ve become familiar with this year, my daily search sessions have given me more personalized results. And thanks to those chatbots’ ability to analyze my prompts, compare options, and reason through them before giving me what I’m looking for, AI searching has become a go-to practice.To give you an idea of how AI searching has proven to be better than Google searches, here’s a collection of prompts that work wonders for me.The prompts I prefer over a traditional Google search (Image credit: Shutterstock)These seven prompts provide examples of those types of situations where I present them to a chatbot with the hope of getting personalized responses that distill all the information I need about topic research, future purchase inquiries, and more:The “I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for” search: I have $500 to spend on upgrading my home office. I already have a MacBook Air and a 27-inch monitor. Research current options and recommend the 5 upgrades that would make the biggest difference to my productivity. Prioritize genuinely useful items over gimmicks, and explain why each is worth the money.The “compare 10 things at once” search: Compare the 10 best AI voice recorders and wearables available right now for someone who has frequent meetings. Evaluate transcription accuracy, speaker identification, summaries, integrations, privacy, pricing, and mobile support. Rank them from best to worst and tell me which one you'd choose for a heavy daily user.The “find the best option for me” search: I want to visit Japan for 7 days in May. I love video games, anime, great food, and unusual experiences, but I don't want a rushed itinerary. Research current attractions and build me a realistic itinerary that balances Tokyo, Kyoto, and one less-touristy destination. Explain every major choice.The “research a complicated question” search: I want to understand whether buying an OLED TV is actually worth it compared with a high-end Mini-LED TV in 2026. Research current models, prices, brightness, contrast, burn-in concerns, gaming performance, and reviews. Give me a simple verdict for movies, sports, and console gaming.The “find something incredibly specific” search: Find me a pair of wireless headphones under $250 that have excellent noise cancellation, strong microphones for calls, multipoint Bluetooth, physical controls, and at least 25 hours of battery life. Eliminate anything that fails even one requirement, then rank the remaining options.The “make sense of the internet” search: Research the biggest developments in AI over the past month. Ignore routine product announcements and focus only on developments that could meaningfully change how ordinary people use AI. Identify the 7 most important developments, explain what happened, why it matters, and what consumers should actually do differently because of it.The “answer the question behind my question” search: I want to buy an Asus ROG Ally X, but I'm not sure whether I actually need one. Ask me the 7 most important questions about how I play games, what devices I own, where I play, and what games I like. Then use my answers to determine whether I should buy one, recommend alternatives if I shouldn't, and explain your reasoning.Figuring out if what I want is something I actually need (Image credit: Shutterstock)Instead of doing an old-fashioned Google search about the best handheld gaming devices, I brought that seventh prompt to Gemini to decide if the Asus ROG Ally X was truly worth splurging on.Gemini paid close attention to what I was asking and came back with the right set of questions to help it achieve its goal. Those questions covered what gaming devices I currently own, where I would actually be playing the device if I owned it, and whether I’m open to tolerating tinkering to get the best performance possible. For these three questions, I told Google’s chatbot that I own all three current-gen consoles, would use the Asus ROG Ally around the house, on road trips, and on flights, and am honestly expecting a seamless "it just works" console experience.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.After answering Gemini’s questions, it quickly stated that getting the Asus ROG Ally just isn’t right for me. The main reasons it gave as proof that it’s a mismatch for me are that its battery life might not be enough for someone like me who plays lengthy, processor-heavy games, and my “it just works” dealbreaker.As an aside, Gemini advised me to pick up a PlayStation Portal instead, making my Switch 2 my primary gaming device for flights & road trips and adding the Steam Deck to my collection if I really want a PC gaming handheld that’s close to the console experience thanks to its custom SteamOS interface.Bottom lineWading through pages and pages of Google search links just doesn’t benefit me anymore. Especially since I’m in my “Unc” years and want results tailored to my exact requirements.Bringing my random queries to Gemini, ChatGPT, and other like-minded chatbots has become a much more preferable option over Googling. While I still use Google from time to time, I get much more out of AI tools when I need individualized results from my search-themed prompts.With the prompt templates I have in place, you should have a better idea of how to get the most out of your future AI search sessions. It might be worth swapping out my search prompt for one focused on getting the most out of my stay in Japan and looking up an entirely different location altogether, FYI. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.More from Tom’s GuideGoogle is giving students a free year of Gemini Pro — plus, new AI study featuresGoogle Maps is better than ever — here are 7 'Ask Maps' prompts to try nextClaude can now send Gmail emails — here's why you might want to test it first Elton Jones covers AI for Tom’s Guide, and tests all the latest models, from ChatGPT to Gemini to Claude to see which tools perform best — and how they can improve everyday productivity.He is also an experienced tech writer who has covered video games, mobile devices, headsets, and now artificial intelligence for over a decade. Since 2011, his work has appeared in publications including The Christian Post, Complex, TechRadar, Heavy, and ONE37pm, with a focus on clear, practical analysis.Today, Elton focuses on making AI more accessible by breaking down complex topics into useful, easy-to-understand insights for a wide range of readers.