A.I. Gift Givers: Can Machines Really Help You Find the Perfect Present?
As Christmas shopping season approaches, many people are turning to AI platforms to help them choose gifts for loved ones. But can machines truly offer thoughtful and personal suggestions? A recent experiment tested several popular chatbots, with surprising results.
When asked for gift ideas for a middle-aged man who enjoys running and photography, the market-leading chatbot ChatGPT suggested some unusual items, including a Canon lens and a tennis racket sensor tracker. While these might be useful, they came at a relatively high price tag – £129 for the camera equipment. The AI platform even recommended "experience" ideas like tennis coaching or live music.
However, when working within a more restricted budget, ChatGPT suggested something less desirable: ugly tennis racket-emblazoned socks for £18. This outcome highlights one of the key limitations of using A.I. gift givers – they often prioritize big online retailers over smaller, niche companies.
When searching for gift ideas for women who like beauty products, DIY, and fitness, ChatGPT steered towards more mainstream suggestions. While some were reasonable, others felt unoriginal. The AI even recommended a £17.50 moisturiser set from Odylique, describing it as "luxurious but not mainstream." This outcome raises concerns about the potential for A.I. gift givers to reinforce existing biases and stereotypes.
The Guardian also tested A.I. platforms on local gift ideas in south London, with mixed results. While some chatbots suggested independent stores like ALKEMI, others defaulted to big online retailers unless instructed otherwise.
Other A.I. models, such as Google's Gemini, offered similar responses, with a focus on bigger brands and fewer nuanced suggestions. So what can consumers expect from using A.I. gift givers? For now, these machines seem more likely to provide general product recommendations rather than thoughtful, personal suggestions that truly reflect the recipient's interests.
The key to success may lie in spending time steering the A.I. towards more relevant answers – but this defeats the purpose of using a machine to help with gift shopping. Ultimately, consumers will need to weigh the benefits and limitations of relying on A.I. for their holiday shopping needs.
As Christmas shopping season approaches, many people are turning to AI platforms to help them choose gifts for loved ones. But can machines truly offer thoughtful and personal suggestions? A recent experiment tested several popular chatbots, with surprising results.
When asked for gift ideas for a middle-aged man who enjoys running and photography, the market-leading chatbot ChatGPT suggested some unusual items, including a Canon lens and a tennis racket sensor tracker. While these might be useful, they came at a relatively high price tag – £129 for the camera equipment. The AI platform even recommended "experience" ideas like tennis coaching or live music.
However, when working within a more restricted budget, ChatGPT suggested something less desirable: ugly tennis racket-emblazoned socks for £18. This outcome highlights one of the key limitations of using A.I. gift givers – they often prioritize big online retailers over smaller, niche companies.
When searching for gift ideas for women who like beauty products, DIY, and fitness, ChatGPT steered towards more mainstream suggestions. While some were reasonable, others felt unoriginal. The AI even recommended a £17.50 moisturiser set from Odylique, describing it as "luxurious but not mainstream." This outcome raises concerns about the potential for A.I. gift givers to reinforce existing biases and stereotypes.
The Guardian also tested A.I. platforms on local gift ideas in south London, with mixed results. While some chatbots suggested independent stores like ALKEMI, others defaulted to big online retailers unless instructed otherwise.
Other A.I. models, such as Google's Gemini, offered similar responses, with a focus on bigger brands and fewer nuanced suggestions. So what can consumers expect from using A.I. gift givers? For now, these machines seem more likely to provide general product recommendations rather than thoughtful, personal suggestions that truly reflect the recipient's interests.
The key to success may lie in spending time steering the A.I. towards more relevant answers – but this defeats the purpose of using a machine to help with gift shopping. Ultimately, consumers will need to weigh the benefits and limitations of relying on A.I. for their holiday shopping needs.
u no wut's weird about AI gift givers tho? dey r supposed 2 b helpful but dey jus end up pushin more mainstream brands 
like who cares bout ugly tennis racket socks tho?! 
u wanna get sum1 a nice photography lens or somethin, but instead u get a £129 price tag 
. and don't even get me started on dey prioritizin big online retailers over smaller, niche companies 
it's like dey r more worried 'bout makin sales than actually helpin u find the perfect gift 
? I used to get the best ideas from my aunt, she'd ask me what my cousin wanted and I'd just tell her whatever 
. Now they're saying these chatbots are gonna help us find perfect gifts? Please, I've seen them try to suggest ugly socks with a tennis racket on 'em 
And don't even get me started on the fact that they're pushing big online retailers over smaller shops. That's just not how it works back in my day...
. Like, who thought it's a good idea to suggest tennis racket-emblazoned socks as a gift? 
It's all about what's convenient for the AI, not what's best for the person receiving the gift.
. And what's with the tennis racket-emblazoned socks? 
and not really listen to what we're looking for...like if you ask me for gift ideas for a woman who likes beauty products and DIY, the AI is all "oh yeah, get this moisturiser set" but what about those indie skincare brands or craft stores that have amazing stuff? 
Interesting 
the price wasn't too bad either £60. then i asked it for birthday ideas for my little brother and got some pretty cool suggestions like a nintendo switch game and a fun experience at an escape room 
Machines trying to help us find gifts is just so... quaint. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to let AI come up with gifts? It's like asking Siri to plan your date night 
. These chatbots are just spitting out suggestions from popular online retailers and calling it 'personalized'. Newsflash: £129 for a tennis racket sensor tracker is not exactly a thoughtful gift, especially when you can get something way more meaningful at the same price. And don't even get me started on those tacky socks 
. The results are all over the place – one day it's a fancy camera lens, next it's some ugly socks 
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, but can we really trust them to find us the perfect present? Apparently not 
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If you want a gift that really speaks to someone's interests, you gotta put in some extra effort yourself 
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! But at the same time, I can see how they'd be helpful with broad suggestions... but not when you want something really specific or unique 
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. Like, I'd rather have someone try to understand me and my loved ones' interests before spitting out some generic suggestions 