Is artificial intelligence good at choosing gifts?

Like many of us at this time of year, Josie Hughes is wracking her brain thinking of gifts for friends and family.

However, last month I decided to try a different approach.

Because she was familiar with artificial intelligence (AI), especially through her work at the Analytics Institute, she decided to see if AI could generate Christmas gift ideas for her nine-year-old brother.

“I use AI all the time in my job, for example, helping to write emails because I have autism and ADHD and struggle… and I thought as Christmas approaches, I wonder if it could be possible,” says Ms Hughes, who lives… “It helps me.” In Eastbourne.

I asked ChatGPT for gift suggestions for a nine-year-old who loves the outdoors.

“She recommended a tightrope — like a tightrope — as well as fishing gear and survival gear. He lives in a wooded area, and I was really impressed, and I hadn’t thought of those gifts.

“I have a hard time surfing the Internet; I don’t want these things. This saves you a lot of time. It’s better to get suggestions than just asking Google.”

As a result, she will be wrapping a tightrope for him this Christmas.

Britons are expected to spend £28.6 billion on Christmas gifts this year, compared to £27.6 billion last year, according to research conducted by the Harvard University Research Center. Comparison platform finderwith an average spend of £596 per person.

Now AGI is becoming part of the shopping process, with more and more people using it for inspiration for Christmas gifts this season.

Modern universality Survey by Accenture It found that the vast majority (95%) of consumers agree that AGI can help them find better gifts, while 90% of them appreciate the recommendations provided by AGI tools.

While many people will turn to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini for ideas, there are also custom AI gift generators that will appeal to Christmas shoppers who need a helping hand this Christmas.

US website GiftList features an AI-powered gift list generator, which, after information from the shopper about who they are buying for and their interests, comes up with gift suggestions with links to products on its site.

The company launched its AI-powered gifting chatbot a year ago, but has since improved it to make it more of a conversational experience.

“Before he gave you five ideas, it wasn’t something you could go back and forth on. We found that people wanted it,” says CEO John Jacklich.

The company works with 50,000 retailers.

But what does it say to people who might think it’s perhaps a lazy or impersonal way to do Christmas shopping?

“It’s really meant to be a helpful assistant…it’s a sounding board,” he says.

GiftList has a lot of competition from other services including Cool Gift Ideas and myMap.AI.

In some ways, such services mimic what shopping used to be, says Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer and retail at accounting firm KPMG.

“That’s how it was with retailers. You used to go into a store and ask them for advice if you were looking for something, like a birthday gift for your niece. The Internet never had that aspect and this gives them an opportunity to do that.”

She says general AI platforms have the potential to change the way we search for products.

“If this becomes the norm, it will bring about major changes in how consumers are directed to retailers’ websites, and raises questions for the likes of advertising and the costs of sponsored links across search engines,” Ms Ellett says.

For some, the AI ​​experience has been a mixed shopping bag.

London-based Polly Arrowsmith says she makes good gifts, but her interest in technology meant she was fascinated to see how successful artificial intelligence would be, and whether it would outperform her own ideas.

She used ChatGPT last November to ask for suggestions for several family members including her sister and father.

The marketing director says: “My sister is 60 years old and has a stressful job, so I said she likes to walk, relax and have NEOM candles.”

“Her suggestions were vague, and she came back with general results like a tote bag, notes, and stickers with inspirational quotes. My sister thought I was missing the plot if I gave her that. She didn’t offer specific products.

But oddly enough, she was very specific when it came to generating ideas for her partner, who she added to ChatGPT was male, 47, and loved technology.

“I was impressed when I came across a particular pair of noise-canceling headphones that I thought he might like.”

However, when she asked for ideas for her father, 83, who is interested in walking, culture and reading, she said the results were very general.

“It was assumed that he might like a foot massage machine, or a personal walking stick, or a meal delivery service. I looked at his age and not his interests. It was assumed that if he was 83, he must be in physical decline. But he is fit.” He is a member of two walking clubs too.

Overall, Ms. Arrowsmith says she believes AI will be a useful tool for someone who doesn’t know where to start.

“It’s a good starting point, but I feel like you need to know something about this person to start with.”

Are there any secrets to using AI for shopping purposes?

“The more specific you are about what you’re looking for, the more relevant your product recommendations become,” says Dmitry Shevelenko, chief business officer at US-based Perplexity, an AI-powered “answer engine.”

“We suggest adding details such as who you are buying for and what their interests are. For example, instead of just asking ‘best coffee maker’, you could ask ‘what is the best espresso machine under £500 that also includes a coffee grinder?’

He says roughly 10% of all searches on Perplexity on Black Friday were shopping-related.

“We expect this rate to remain steady as we approach the holidays, since this is the busiest shopping period each year.”