Santa gets an algorithm: How AI is helping people shop
ConsumerAffairs: 45 percent of shoppers say coming up with gift ideas is the most stressful part of the holiday season
(InvestigateTV) — Social media feeds are full of influencers’ gift guides and sponsored posts promoting the season’s “must-have” products. For many shoppers, the result is pressure, and a growing impulse to spend.
Dayna Edens of ConsumerAffairs says the simplest first step is to control what you see.
“If they’re tempting you to overspend, you know, try limiting some screen time or anything that’s going to get you off of that and get you back into reality,” Edens said. “And maybe you need to say, ‘hey, I’m not going to follow this person right now because, you know, they’re leading me down a path that I really can’t go.’”
But this holiday season shoppers have another tool: artificial intelligence. Edens calls AI “the new Santa’s helper.” A recent ConsumerAffairs survey found one in four shoppers are asking ChatGPT for gift inspiration, a quick fix for people struggling to buy for hard-to-shop-for family members.
While AI can unblock gift-givers, Edens warns it can also hollow out part of the holiday ritual.
“But I do think it outsources your creative part of gift giving. That’s kind of part of the season. It is supposed to be joyful,” she shared. “You’re supposed to be generous. You know, this made me think of you. And what does that say when we’re having a program come up with that for us?”
The survey also found 37 percent of people are turning to social media for ideas, a reminder that both algorithms and human influencers now shape holiday shopping.
Edens said it’s fine to experiment: test AI for a few ideas, or scroll social platforms for inspiration. But she also argues there’s value in low-tech moments, spotting a gift on a store shelf or circling items in a catalogue, small acts that feed nostalgia and, she says, are priceless.
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