I tried Tubi in ChatGPIT and I didn’t hate it

OpenAI is doing its best to turn ChatGPT into an app platform, so you can access apps like Adobe Photoshop, Canva, and Apple Music right inside the AI ​​chatbot interface—and now Tubi has become the first video streaming app to be available in ChatGPT.

You can’t load actual movies and TV shows from the ChatGPT prompt box, but you can can do Discover titles you might enjoy, and see what’s available in the Tubi library. The idea is that you’ll never be stuck on what to look for next: Tell ChatGPT and Tubi what you’re looking for, and you’ll get personalized results back.

As a keen watcher of movies and shows, I was eager to test it out as soon as it became available.

What can Tubi do inside ChatGPT

you can find Apps From the left-hand navigation pane inside ChatGPT on desktop or mobile, find Portal:Tubi app, click Add on its listing page, and from then on it will be available through + (Plus) menu in the ChatGPT prompt box. You can also access it with a “@tubi” mention in any of your prompts.

First I asked what to watch next if I’m a fan of classic action thrillers fugitive And crimson tideAnd Tubi delivered: its selection of titles like enemy of the State, no wayAnd us marshal (lesser famous sequel fugitive) were largely spot-on, and many other similar films I have already seen and enjoyed.

Tubi can also take advantage of user ratings. I asked about the highest-rated TV shows of 2020, and it offered a pretty obvious selection separation, inheritanceAnd internal management and. However, neither of those are available on Tubi – I encountered several Tubi catalog “access errors” when using the ChatGPT integration, and when they did occur, the service would revert to more general recommendations.

I wanted to see if I could get a recommendation from Tubi To drive (which is available on the platform), so called for a “brilliant, 2011 thriller based on a book and set in Los Angeles.” Maybe that’s too many clues, but I actually found the movie I was looking for – indicating that ChatGPT and Tubi have access to accurate enough metadata to find the likes.

Tubi’s recommendations were generally good.
Credit: Lifehacker

I also asked for “Classic TV Period Drama” to see if Tubby would come back with anything I hadn’t heard of before. The recommendations were limited, and I didn’t find anything new I particularly wanted to see, but given that the AI ​​is working within the bounds of the Tubi library, the results were all acceptable.

You don’t have to use Tubi inside ChatGPT just for the recommendations. You can also ask to see what’s trending on the platform at any given time, or test your knowledge about TV shows and movies by playing the Tubi trivia game: just say “Test my movie knowledge” (or something along those lines) to launch it.

Advantages and Disadvantages of AI Search

There’s something charming about being able to discover “a dreamy 2000s film with a contemplative, mournful vibe suitable for adults and teens” instead of just scrolling through a thousand titles in the “Drama” category. This is the kind of subtlety and natural conversation that AI bots now offer with or without Tubi (and it’s back with it). lost in TranslationWhich is a pretty good fit).

You can run these searches in standard ChatGPIT, though the Tubi integration allows you to focus on titles you’ll actually be able to stream on the free platform — and if you want to watch something specifically on Tubi, it’s an easy way to quickly filter your selection without any extra steps.

You can also ask about what’s trending on Tubi.
Credit: Lifehacker

I can see myself turning to this kind of recommendation tool again in the future, but I’m still not entirely convinced. Sure, ChatGPT and other AI bots always seem reassuring, but that’s by design: they won’t admit that they haven’t found any relevant selections, and they’ll always offer something, no matter how closely it matches what you’re looking for (or not).

Ultimately, the AI ​​models that ChatGPT and Tubi are relying on haven’t watched a movie or TV show, or sat in a movie theater, or felt any kind of emotion. Whether you’re plugging your requests into this new Tubi tool or scrolling through the “recommended” bar on a streaming service, you’re relying on algorithms and metadata.

Some results will be limited by what’s available on Tubi.
Credit: Lifehacker

This isn’t the same as asking for a recommendation from a trusted friend or relative – or indeed reading a recommendation from a human being who has actually gone through some of the experiences seen on screen.

I worry that AI may make our movie and TV show viewings more flat and generic with its recommendations – in the same way that it produces flattened, generic text and artwork – so when I reintroduce Tubi inside ChatGPIT in the future, I’ll always keep human recommendations in the mix. And I’ll still scroll for 20 minutes for hidden gems – no matter how inefficient it is, I still stumble upon some of my favorite movies by chance.