Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

AI catches billion dollar bid mistakes

8 min
Apr 22, 2026about 1 month ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Kim Komando discusses how AI chatbots like ChatGPT can catch costly mistakes in everyday situations, from home renovation bids to car maintenance diagnostics. She demonstrates practical use cases where AI analysis saved listeners thousands of dollars by identifying issues professionals missed.

Insights
  • AI chatbots can provide specialized expertise (contractor, mechanic) at no cost by prompting them with specific professional roles and context
  • Consumers are increasingly using AI as a second opinion to validate or challenge professional advice before committing significant money
  • AI's ability to correlate vehicle make/model with common issues provides diagnostic value that generic mechanic scans cannot
  • Skepticism from traditional service providers toward AI recommendations is diminishing as results prove the technology's accuracy
  • Proactive AI analysis of contracts and bids can prevent financial losses by flagging vague language and missing specifications
Trends
AI-assisted consumer decision-making for high-stakes purchases and service contractsShift toward AI as a cost-saving tool for identifying professional service gaps and overchargesGrowing consumer confidence in AI chatbots for specialized domain knowledge (contracting, automotive repair)AI democratizing access to expert-level analysis for non-professionalsEmergence of AI as a negotiation and validation tool before engaging service providersIntegration of AI into personal finance management and risk mitigation strategies
Companies
OpenAI
ChatGPT used by callers and host for automotive diagnostics, contract review, and home renovation bid analysis
Google
Gemini mentioned as an AI chatbot alternative for bid and contract analysis
Anthropic
Claude mentioned as an AI chatbot option for reviewing home renovation bids
xAI
Grok mentioned as an available AI chatbot for bid and contract analysis
People
Dave
BMW X5 owner who used ChatGPT to diagnose transfer case oil issue, saving $3,550-$6,550
Kim Komando
Podcast host demonstrating AI applications for catching bid mistakes and validating professional advice
Quotes
"How do I make AI work for me? Not someday, today. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option."
Kim KomandoOpening
"I upload the bid straight into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grock. Then I type, you are a licensed contractor reviewing this bid on my behalf."
Kim KomandoMid-episode
"I ran it on my AC bid and the chatbot flagged four things my eyes completely missed."
Kim KomandoMid-episode
"They said well let us do an inspection. It like no your inspections cost hundreds of dollars... Just please do what ChatGPT says."
DaveCaller segment
"So I replaced the transfer case oil for about $450 versus replacing the whole transfer case for about $4,000 to $7,000."
DaveCaller segment
Full Transcript
Every business owner I talk to asks the same question. How do I make AI work for me? Not someday, today. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Your competitors aren't waiting. NetSuite by Oracle is the number one AI cloud ERP, trusted by over 43,000 businesses. It pulls your financials, inventory, commerce, HR, and CRM into one system. When everything lives in one place, your AI knows your business. It doesn't guess, it knows. You make decisions based on the data and AI, not on your gut. You get alerted to red flags before they turn into problems and make fast, confident decisions that move the needle. How do I know? I'm bringing NetSuite into my business right now. From software and IT services to healthcare, equipment manufacturing, financial services, and many other great American industries, NetSuite delivers a customized solution for your business. If your revenues are at least seven figures, get NetSuite's free business guide, Demystifying AI, right now. It's free to you at NetSuite.com slash Kim. That's netsuite.com slash Kim, netsuite.com slash Kim. Home renovations kicking your butt. Tell me about it. Right now, I'm installing a new AC system and building a guest house on my property. At the same time, two contractors, dozens of bids, one wrong signature, and I'm out tens of thousands of dollars with no recourse. So here's what I do before signing anything. I upload the bid straight into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grock. Then I type, you are a licensed contractor reviewing this bid on my behalf. Flag anything vague, missing, or that should concern me. Then I asked, is there anything that a home inspector in my zip code will flag during the inspection period? That's it. I ran it on my AC bid and the chatbot flagged four things my eyes completely missed. Sharper questions mean more money in your pocket, where it belongs. Speaking of AI chatbots, make sure that you sign up for my new free weekly newsletter. It's all about AI, and it's called SplashofAI.com. Next up a call from my weekend show The Kim Commando Show Enjoy Mother Day is coming up and you want her gift to be something she actually enjoys every single day Raycon Everyday Earbuds Classic are perfect for that. I've been using mine nonstop. When I'm working, traveling, even catching up on podcasts, they become my go-to. The sound is fantastic. With active noise cancellation, I can block out distractions when I need to. They've also added really smart upgrades. Multipoint connectivity lest we pair with two devices at once. The ergonomic fit is comfortable and stays put, no matter what I'm doing. And I'm loving the cool mint color. It's fresh, a nice change from basic black or white. Battery life is strong, up to 32 hours. And a quick 10-minute charge gives me 90 minutes of playtime. I also use awareness mode when I'm out walking my dog, so I can hear everything around me. So make it easy to celebrate the moms in your life. Go to buyraycon.com slash Kim, and you'll get 15% off. That's buyraycon.com slash Kim. Buyraycon.com slash Kim and get that 15% off right now. What do you think, some phone calls? Let's do it. Right. How about we start with Dave in Nashville, Tennessee. Welcome, Dave. Glad to have you with us. What's going on? Well, it's great to be here. I sent you a message the other day. You had put a tip out just last week in your daily newsletter about, ask your favorite AI engine. I don't know if you mentioned ChatGPT particularly, but you wanted us to put our make and model of our car in there and then ask it a basic question like, you know, what are the most common maintenance issues and what can I do about it? Well, I've had an issue since last year that I took to a garage and they ran through a long process and said, your car is in perfect health. And I thought, well, it still shutters when it starts off, when I'm turning quarters and things like that. Wait, what do you mean shutters? Wait, what happens? Well, like it just kind of vibrates a little bit. Does it make any noise or anything or just vibrate? No nothing like that Okay all right And I could overlook it turning a radio up or just pretend it a bumpy road or something like that But when my wife in the car you know you can only sidetrack her so many times before she says okay, there's something wrong with the car. You've got to do something. So I took it to the garage. They couldn't find anything. So I wait another nine months because, you know, it was pretty urgent. And I put it into chat GPT, and boom, it comes right up with the answers. It gives exactly what's happening in all the right circumstances. And I thought, this is amazing. What was it? So I sent this to the garage. It was a transfer case. The oil in, I don't want to name the brand in case they come back and take my car or something there. But anyway, they put oil in the transfer case and it supposedly lasts a lifetime. Okay. Well, as long as you only live to six, you're good. But this started failing. And when it starts failing, then all the little plates inside start bouncing on each other rather than running smoothly. So that's what was happening. So I replaced the transfer case oil for about $450 versus replacing the whole transfer case for about $4,000 to $7,000 based on what the chat thing told me. And the shimmy, the shake, it went away? It was amazing. It went away instantly. I thought there's no way just changing this oil is going to really help, but it did. And they said that it would. Now, when you brought it in to get it fixed and you're like, hey, I want the oil in my transfer case changed. I mean, obviously, that's a very specific car. Yes, exactly. It's not like an oil change or, you know, can you top off the fluids? What kind of car are we talking about? Oh, it's a BMW X5. Okay. Yeah. All right. Did you tell the mechanics ChatGPT told me that I need to do this? Yeah, that went well. That was the eye rolls and all that kind of thing. Here's another internet nut job, you know, who's reading too much. But I said look so they said well let us do an inspection It like no your inspections cost hundreds of dollars and then you going to turn around and charge me another on top of that Just please do what ChatGPT says. Okay. That should be my bumper sticker. So they did it, and it worked, and so you saved me thousands of dollars. So I'm just very thankful. Did they admit that ChatGPT was right after the whole thing was done? No, no, no, no. Of course not. I actually had a similar thing just this week. I had a check engine light come on, and I went and got the scan done, and they spit out the number, and you have no idea what any of the numbers mean. So I put that in ChatGPT, and ChatGPT was like, well, it could be this, it could be that, but also the make model of your vehicle, because it knows my car. The make model of your vehicle is just known to sometimes have a glitch. So wait for it to go like... No, it's Suburban. Okay. And it said, just wait a couple of days and see if it goes away. Two days later, boom, it was gone. So I'm in the same thing with you, Dave. I would have went in and got a diagnostic check that's 250 bucks just to find out, oh, it's just a glitch. Well, BMW, break my wallet. Yes, absolutely. I mean, well, you know what? So do I get a cut of anything here? A cut of the savings? Yes, exactly. Just wondering. Sorry, you're starting to fade. Yeah, I'm kind of like, I can't hear you. Now he's going to ask Chad GPT how he fixes his phone issues. Every single time someone asks for money, he can't hear them. What's going on with that? It's so strange. How is that happening? Hey, want to stay in the tech now without wasting your time? Join nearly a million folks who get my free newsletter, The Current, where you'll see the latest in tech in just five minutes every single day. You're just going to love it. It has a five out of five star rating over on Trustpilot. Sign up right now at GetKim.com. That's GetKim.com.