Is AI any good at choosing gifts?

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.

This year, Brits are expected are expected to spend £28.6bn on Christmas gifts, up from £27.6bn last year, according to research from comparison platform Finder, with an average spend of £596 per person.

And now gen AI is becoming part of the shopping process, with an increasing number of people using it for inspiration for Christmas presents this season.

A recent global survey by Accenture found that the vast majority (95%) of consumers agree that gen AI could help them find better gifts, while 90% value the recommendations that gen AI tools provide.

While many people will be turning to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to source ideas, there are also dedicated AI gift generators attracting Christmas shoppers needing a helping hand this Christmas.

US-based affiliate site GiftList features an AI-powered gift list generator which, following 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 the AI gift chatbot a year ago, but have since improved it to make it more of a conversational experience.

“Before it would give you five ideas, it wasn’t something you could go back and forth with. We found people wanted that,” says the firm’s chief executive Jon Jaklitsch.

The company works with 50,000 retailers.

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

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

GiftList has plenty of competition from other services including Cool Gift Ideas and my MyMap.AI.

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.

“If this becomes the norm, then it brings about big changes in how consumers are routed through to the sites of retailers, and poses questions for the likes of advertising and sponsored link costs via search engines,” says Ms Ellett.

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

London-based Polly Arrowsmith says she’s a good present giver, but her interest in tech meant she was intrigued to see how successful AI would be, and if it would trump her own ideas.

This November she used ChatGPT to ask for suggestions for several family members including her sister and dad.

“My sister is 60 and has a stressful job, so I said she likes walking, relaxation and Neom candles,” says the director of marketing.

“It was vague with its suggestions, and came back with generic results like a tote bag and diary, and posters with inspirational quotes which my sister would think I had lost the plot if I gave her that. It didn’t offer specific products.”

Strangely, however, it was very specific when it came to generating ideas for her partner, who she added to ChatGPT that he was male, 47, and likes technology.

“I was impressed as it came up with a particular pair of noise cancelling headphones which I thought he might like.”

However, when she asked for ideas for her dad, 83, who is interested in walking, culture, and reading, she says the results were too generic.

“It assumed he might like a foot massage machine, a personalised walking stick, or a meal delivery service. It looked at his age and not his interests. It assumed if he is 83 then he must be on physical decline. But he is very fit; he’s a member of two walking clubs.”

Overall, Ms Arrowsmith says she thinks AI would be a useful tool for someone who didn’t know where to start.

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

So are there any secrets to using AI for shopping purposes?

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

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

He says nearly 10% of all searches on Perplexity on Black Friday were related to shopping.

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