This year, I’ve been asked many times if using artificial intelligence (AI) to create Christmas shopping lists is a good idea. It’s obvious that it’s convenient, but do you really come up with the best ideas for what to gift your near and dear ones?
The use of AI is becoming commonplace. For example, ChatGPT currently has over 300 million weekly “active” users. It is a large-scale language model that is trained on large amounts of text data and effectively generates statistical patterns based on the collected data. It’s important to remember that systems like ChatGPT are based on previously collected text data. Therefore, it is not tailored to you as an individual. This means that you can’t predict exactly what your favorite aunty wants because it generates a generic response. And often it generates many suggestions.
Choice overload
The fact that an AI system can create a large number of possibilities is a potential problem, since humans typically don’t like having too many options. In general, when faced with more than six product possibilities, people are more likely to walk away and less satisfied with their choices. This is, at least in part, because it is difficult for consumers to cope with all the information relevant to each product, resulting in their cognitive resources being overwhelmed. So it’s no wonder we were a little taken aback when we asked ChatGPT what to buy grandma this Christmas and got 32 suggestions. Maybe it’s also because they all seemed so random.
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User shapes response
It is worth noting that the successful use of AI systems is highly dependent on the user. The more information you provide, the better the answer you will get. It may also help people develop higher levels of acceptance of a large number of choices, perhaps because the answers are simplified and require less cognition to process. I found this in the song recommendations. However, keep in mind that singing is not necessarily the same as choosing one item to gift to a friend. When it comes to songs, more variety and choice means you can choose something that fits your mood better. situation etc.
Price and sentiment as predictors of purchase
Prices often predict what people will buy. This is another point that is difficult for AI systems to take into account, so the final decision may deviate from the suggestions made so far. Another aspect that AI systems cannot take into account is the emotions people feel towards others. These emotions can have a strong influence on what consumers buy. Exploring different types of products may be driven by feelings toward others. But if you just look at the list, you’re more likely to think rationally about what to buy and eliminate the emotional aspect. This can result in purchases that don’t reflect how you feel about the other person.
The moral of the story?
While it may be tempting to rely on ChatGPT to help you pick out Christmas presents this year, it’s better to take the time to think about what your loved one will truly appreciate.
