Is AI any good at choosing gifts?

Like many people right now of 12 months, Josie Hughes wracks her mind to consider presents for family and friends.

Nonetheless, final month she determined to attempt a special strategy.

Being accustomed to synthetic intelligence (AI), significantly by means of her work on the Institute of Analytics, she determined to see if AI might generate Christmas current concepts for her nine-year-old brother.

“I exploit AI on a regular basis for my job, for instance, assist writing emails as I’ve autism and ADHD and I wrestle…and I assumed with Christmas arising, I’m wondering if it will possibly assist me,” says Ms Hughes, who lives in Eastbourne.

She requested ChatGPT for solutions for a present for a nine-year outdated who loves the outside.

“It really useful a slackline – like a good rope – in addition to a fishing equipment and survival equipment. He lives in a woodland space, and I used to be actually impressed, I hadn’t considered these presents.

“I discover it exhausting to trawl the web; I don’t need the faff. This protects you a variety of time. It’s higher for solutions than simply asking Google.”

Because of this, she’ll be wrapping a slackline for him this Christmas.

This 12 months, Brits are anticipated are anticipated to spend £28.6bn on Christmas presents, up from £27.6bn final 12 months, in line with analysis from comparison platform Finder, with a median spend of £596 per individual.

And now gen AI is changing into a part of the procuring course of, with an growing variety of individuals utilizing it for inspiration for Christmas presents this season.

A latest world survey by Accenture discovered that the overwhelming majority (95%) of shoppers agree that gen AI might assist them discover higher presents, whereas 90% worth the suggestions that gen AI instruments present.

Whereas many individuals will probably be turning to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to supply concepts, there are additionally devoted AI present turbines attracting Christmas buyers needing a serving to hand this Christmas.

US-based affiliate web site GiftList options an AI-powered present record generator which, following data from the consumer about who they’re shopping for for, and their pursuits, comes up with present solutions with hyperlinks to merchandise on its web site.

The corporate launched the AI present chatbot a 12 months in the past, however have since improved it to make it extra of a conversational expertise.

“Earlier than it might provide you with 5 concepts, it wasn’t one thing you might travel with. We discovered individuals wished that,” says the agency’s chief government Jon Jaklitsch.

The corporate works with 50,000 retailers.

However what would he say to individuals who may suppose it’s maybe a lazy or impersonal method of Christmas procuring?

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

GiftList has loads of competitors from different companies together with Cool Present Concepts and my MyMap.AI.

In a method, companies like these replicate how procuring was once, says Linda Ellett, UK head of client and retail at accountancy agency KPMG.

“That is the way it was once with retailers. You used to enter a retailer and ask them for recommendation if you’re searching for one thing, like a birthday current for a niece. On-line by no means had that side and this provides them an opportunity to try this.”

She says gen AI platforms have the potential to essentially shake-up how we seek for merchandise.

“If this turns into the norm, then it brings about huge adjustments in how shoppers are routed by means of to the websites of outlets, and poses questions for the likes of promoting and sponsored hyperlink prices by way of search engines like google,” says Ms Ellett.

For some, the AI expertise has been a combined procuring bag.

London-based Polly Arrowsmith says she’s a superb current giver, however her curiosity in tech meant she was intrigued to see how profitable AI could be, and if it might trump her personal concepts.

This November she used ChatGPT to ask for solutions for a number of relations together with her sister and pop.

“My sister is 60 and has a worrying job, so I stated she likes strolling, leisure and Neom candles,” says the director of promoting.

“It was obscure with its solutions, and got here again with generic outcomes like a tote bag and diary, and posters with inspirational quotes which my sister would suppose I had misplaced the plot if I gave her that. It didn’t supply particular merchandise.”

Surprisingly, nonetheless, it was very particular when it got here to producing concepts for her companion, who she added to ChatGPT that he was male, 47, and likes expertise.

“I used to be impressed because it got here up with a selected pair of noise cancelling headphones which I assumed he may like.”

Nonetheless, when she requested for concepts for her dad, 83, who’s interested by strolling, tradition, and studying, she says the outcomes have been too generic.

“It assumed he may like a foot therapeutic massage machine, a personalised strolling stick, or a meal supply service. It checked out his age and never his pursuits. It assumed if he’s 83 then he should be on bodily decline. However he’s very match; he’s a member of two strolling golf equipment.”

Total, Ms Arrowsmith says she thinks AI could be a useful gizmo for somebody who didn’t know the place to begin.

“It’s a superb start line, however I really feel like that you must know one thing about that individual to start with.”

So are there any secrets and techniques to utilizing AI for procuring functions?

“The extra particular you could be about what you’re searching for, the extra related your product suggestions will probably be,” says Dmitry Shevelenko, chief enterprise officer at US-based Perplexity, an AI-powered ‘reply engine’.

“We recommend including particulars similar to who you’re shopping for for and what their pursuits are. For instance, somewhat than simply asking for the ‘finest espresso maker,’ you may ask ‘what’s the finest espresso machine underneath £500 that additionally features a espresso grinder?’”

He says practically 10% of all searches on Perplexity on Black Friday have been associated to procuring.

“We anticipate this fee to carry regular as we strategy the vacations, on condition that that is the busiest procuring interval every year.”