Is AI Any Good at Choosing Gifts?

upstart writes:

Could AI supersede traditional gift giving inspiration?:

Like many of us at this time of year, Josie Hughes wracks her brain to think of gifts for friends and family.

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

Being familiar with artificial intelligence (AI), particularly through her work at the Institute of Analytics, she decided to see if AI could generate Christmas present ideas for her nine-year-old brother.

"I use AI all the time for my job, for example, help writing emails as I have autism and ADHD and I struggle...and I thought with Christmas coming up, I wonder if it can help me," says Ms Hughes, who lives in Eastbourne.

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

"It recommended a slackline - like a tight rope - as well as a fishing kit and survival kit. He lives in a woodland area, and I was really impressed, I hadn't thought of those gifts.

"I find it hard to trawl the internet; I don't want the faff. This saves you a lot of time. It's better for suggestions than just asking Google."

As a result, she'll be wrapping a slackline for him this Christmas.

[...] In a way, services like those replicate how shopping used to be, says Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer and retail at accountancy firm KPMG.

"This is how it used to be with retailers. You used to go into a store and ask them for advice if you are looking for something, like a birthday present for a niece. Online never had that aspect and this gives them a chance to do that."

She says gen AI platforms have the potential to really shake-up how we search for products.

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