Many online storage unit size calculators are available to determine what size unit you'll need.
Since LLMs (large language models) can 'see' items in photos and videos and answer questions about image or video contents, we wondered if AI could be an additional input to estimating the required dimensions for a self-storage unit.
This way, online unit size estimation could be based on uploading one or more photos of items rather than inputting a lot of text.
We tested this approach with the following LLMs:
OpenAI's ChatGPT
A GPT (a.k.a. Custom GPT)
Google's Gemini
Google's Project Astra, scheduled for release in 2025, may take this concept to the next level by allowing people to take a video of items around their house and ask for a catalog and storage unit size estimate.
ChatGPT Estimations
We uploaded a photo and prompted ChatGPT with the following:
What size storage unit do I need for the items in this photo? Please list all the items you see, along with your estimated dimensions.
ChatGPT did a good job of identifying all the items in the image an providing approximate dimensions.
It concluded with:
If you only need short‐term storage and plan on tightly packing everything once, a 5×10 might be enough. But if you want easier access or are storing more items later (like boxes or additional décor), a 10×10 is the safer choice.
As with most AI output, verifying what the AI tells you is always a good idea.
ChatGPT can also serve up DALL·E images. We asked the LLM to generate an image of the items from the photo inside the appropriately sized storage unit.
However, the GPT comically returned an image that showed an entire living room setup inside a storage unit.
We'll try this feature again in the future.
Using a GPT
If you have a ChatGPT login (a free account works), try this Storage Unit Size Estimator GPT.
No prompt is needed—attach one or more photos and click the 'Send' message button.
Google's Gemini Space Estimate
We prompted Gemini using the same photo and the following text:
What size storage unit do I need for the items in this photo? Please estimate the dimensions of each item you catalog.
Like ChatGPT, Gemini identified the items in the photo along with estimated dimensions and concluded with this:
Recommended Storage Unit Size:
Based on this rough estimate, here are my recommendations:
Minimum: A 5x10 storage unit is a popular size which is close to the 170 cubic feet of space we estimated you’d need. This option would involve packing all the items with care and in an efficient way, with little space to spare.
More Comfortable: If you want more room to move things around, you can get a 10x10 storage unit which provides about 800 cubic feet of space and will give you plenty of extra space to add more items at a later stage.
Disclaimer: These are estimations. It's always a good idea to measure your larger items accurately if possible before securing a unit. When in doubt, it's better to go a little bigger. You can always store the extra space. It will just cost a little more.
Good luck with your move!
Using AI to Create a Traditional Calculator
In a different application of AI, our marketing manager used an app generator called Bolt.new to create this traditional calculator.
Sizing a storage unit is not an exact science. At this point, AI can serve as an additional input to predetermining the proper dimensions of a storage space.
As large language models advance, there may be a day when an AI becomes the go-to storage unit size calculator.