The wearable future is stuck in weird, experimental, existential limbo

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. For the past week, I’ve been testing the Google Pixel Watch 5. In many ways, it’s a typical, modern smartwatch. In others, it feels like one part of a wearable future that’s increasingly in flux. Everyone I’ve spoken to in wearable tech has roughly the same goal — soon, your tracker of choice will feature a helpful AI coach, “check engine” alerts that preventively flag hard-to-detect health conditions, and personalized health recommendations based on your lived experiences and needs. That’s certainly what’s being pitched. But so far, it seems like most companies don’t know how exactly we’re going to get there. AI coaches? Even the best ones are too chatty, fixate on one random detail you shared during setup, and require a ton of hand-holding. “Check engine” alerts can be useful and have been documented as saving lives. They can also spark health…