Last month I bought a pair of running shoes, and the way I bought them is the reason I am writing this. I never saw a results page, a review roundup, or a “best running shoes 2026” listicle with affiliate links three paragraphs deep. I opened a chat assistant, typed that my knees had been hurting from running lately, and asked whether Hokas would be good for me. It said yes, more or less, and twenty minutes later the order was placed. At the moment I typed that question, I could not have told…