Let AI do the hard parts of your holiday shopping(blog.google)
blog.google
Let AI do the hard parts of your holiday shopping
https://blog.google/products/shopping/agentic-checkout-holiday-ai-shopping/
60 comments
I just train my family/potential gift givers to only consider consumables. That takes care of the clutter problem.
consumables are the way to go.
as a receiver there's no long-term clutter or obligations.
and depending on the type of consumable, there's the possible of getting to share/partake in it with the gift-giver and you've turned your consumable-gift into a no-obligation experience which is another nice type of clutter-free gift.
and depending on the type of consumable, there's the possible of getting to share/partake in it with the gift-giver and you've turned your consumable-gift into a no-obligation experience which is another nice type of clutter-free gift.
I have heaps of jams, honey and candles. There are limits to the consumables as well. That, or people could think about diversifying consumables - although a lettuce head won't bring much Xmas spirit.
> [..] I can't imagine how useless an unthinking AI would be at this when my own family and friends who, and this is important, _know me_, can't find anything to get me that doesn't land in the above categories
This is precisely the problem - an AI does not really "know" the recipient (set aside of what it means to "know" someone). The result is you get something just a bit more varied than the usual "He's a Guy - he'll love some Whiskey Stones, a Bacon-of-the-Month subscription, or a Beard Care Kit" advice. (Adjust for whatever target demographic.)
This is precisely the problem - an AI does not really "know" the recipient (set aside of what it means to "know" someone). The result is you get something just a bit more varied than the usual "He's a Guy - he'll love some Whiskey Stones, a Bacon-of-the-Month subscription, or a Beard Care Kit" advice. (Adjust for whatever target demographic.)
While I agree with you in principle (people should do their own thinking if they want gifts to be genuine), I thought I would go ahead and see how well Gemini can advise someone on choosing a gift for you.
https://gemini.google.com/share/88b694a09a89
The advice seems very good. What do you think? A donation to EFF or an open source project, a rare book, or handcrafted headphones seem like a good start for someone who can't afford anything extravagant.
https://gemini.google.com/share/88b694a09a89
The advice seems very good. What do you think? A donation to EFF or an open source project, a rare book, or handcrafted headphones seem like a good start for someone who can't afford anything extravagant.
> handcrafted headphones
"I wound the coils myself!"
"I wound the coils myself!"
Yeah, that was a little joke I slipped in, but OTOH, I've seen headphone kits that used 3D printed parts and it's not difficult to imagine someone replacing the 3D printed parts with handcrafted wood.
And at the same time it's a not uncommon activity especially around university physics labs to wind various purpose-built magnets and transformers with exotic shapes.
This seems like a really solid list
Also people keep confusing the response in the table because they are missing the “or”:
Niche Tool or Sensory Item (Headphones)
It’s not suggesting building headphones
Also people keep confusing the response in the table because they are missing the “or”:
Niche Tool or Sensory Item (Headphones)
It’s not suggesting building headphones
Handcrafted headphones? I’m interested…
So true. Note that advertising also makes us over-consume.
Technology is great, but it's also great for greedy people.
Technology is great, but it's also great for greedy people.
Same here. I have just about everything I would want/need. Anything else is niche that I wouldn't want anyone else buying for me anyway (because they don't know enough about the hobby/I want to choose it myself), or far too expensive beyond what I'd be comfortable receiving as a gift from a loved one (Sure, I'd love a Pro Display XDR, no I'm not going to ask anyone to buy me a $5,000 monitor as a holiday gift).
Otherwise, my living and offices spaces are sparse and minimal, I already have all the art, decor, or knick-knacks I'd ever want or need, and I generally despise clutter.
I tell everyone, want to get me a gift? Let's go do something together. Let's go out to dinner, or go on a day hike, etc.
Otherwise, my living and offices spaces are sparse and minimal, I already have all the art, decor, or knick-knacks I'd ever want or need, and I generally despise clutter.
I tell everyone, want to get me a gift? Let's go do something together. Let's go out to dinner, or go on a day hike, etc.
Gifts are not for your enjoyment, they are for the givers enjoyment.
Don't take your loved ones for granted, because if you keep acting egocentrically towards them, they will one by one get tired of you.
Don't take your loved ones for granted, because if you keep acting egocentrically towards them, they will one by one get tired of you.
Not liking "stuff" culture doesn't make you a narcissist.
Giving for your own pleasure and getting mad when you don't get the reaction you wanted... one of the most narcissistic behaviors is frequently accusing others of it.
Giving for your own pleasure and getting mad when you don't get the reaction you wanted... one of the most narcissistic behaviors is frequently accusing others of it.
And that's not what I said either (even though I used the word narcissist first), that he has to like the gifts.
Putting yourself above others is what makes your actions ego centrical. When somebody does something nice for you, that's a very beautiful gesture, even if you didn't particularly fancy that thing. Part of being mature is learning these things. That's why we are happy and grateful when a friend invites us for dinner. Not saying: "Hey! Don't cook anything I don't like! And anyway, I prefer eating take-out, so don't invite me!".
It's not about the physical gift, it's not about the food or about the drink. It's about the human connection, and that is a very fragile thing. People forget these things in these hyper-materialistic and yes ego centrical times we live in.
Gifts which you didn't want are easy to get rid off, just give them to somebody else.
Putting yourself above others is what makes your actions ego centrical. When somebody does something nice for you, that's a very beautiful gesture, even if you didn't particularly fancy that thing. Part of being mature is learning these things. That's why we are happy and grateful when a friend invites us for dinner. Not saying: "Hey! Don't cook anything I don't like! And anyway, I prefer eating take-out, so don't invite me!".
It's not about the physical gift, it's not about the food or about the drink. It's about the human connection, and that is a very fragile thing. People forget these things in these hyper-materialistic and yes ego centrical times we live in.
Gifts which you didn't want are easy to get rid off, just give them to somebody else.
"narcissist", "ego centrical", "very beautiful gesture", "Part of being mature"
Just tone it down. Nobody deserves the joy of giving you a gift if they don't want stuff, being so mad about it is selfish and lacking empathy. "Maturity", since you bring it up, is respecting somebody's preferences and not diagnosing them of a personality disorder because they don't want to participate in something the same way you do.
When somebody says they don't want gifts, the correct response is not "you're a narcissist".
Just tone it down. Nobody deserves the joy of giving you a gift if they don't want stuff, being so mad about it is selfish and lacking empathy. "Maturity", since you bring it up, is respecting somebody's preferences and not diagnosing them of a personality disorder because they don't want to participate in something the same way you do.
When somebody says they don't want gifts, the correct response is not "you're a narcissist".
I toned it down already with an edit. But this is a discussion forum, so we're here to discuss, and any comment is an invitation for further replies, wouldn't you agree?
Yes, everybody deserves the joy of giving gifts, and it doesn't matter if the receiver wants it or not. They should be happy that somebody thought of them and wanted to show their appreciation. The gift itself doesn't matter very much. Nobody should take for granted that anybody wants to give them any gifts at all, so let's appreciate it when it happens. God knows that there are many people in this world who never receive gifts or any gesture of kindness, and would be overjoyed if it happened to them.
Secondly, gifts were never ment to have utility value for the receiver. At most, when we are children we can expect that our parents may figure out what objects we desire. After that, gifts can never be expected to be what the recipient wanted. And that's why I mentioned maturity. How in the world are people who don't live with you in your house supposed to know what you want or need? That's why we as adults need to understand that it is all about the gesture, and not at all about whether the gift is useful or desired by the recipient. So put it in a drawer, give it to somebody else, or throw it away if you must.
Just like being invited to dinner isn't about stilling your hunger.
Yes, everybody deserves the joy of giving gifts, and it doesn't matter if the receiver wants it or not. They should be happy that somebody thought of them and wanted to show their appreciation. The gift itself doesn't matter very much. Nobody should take for granted that anybody wants to give them any gifts at all, so let's appreciate it when it happens. God knows that there are many people in this world who never receive gifts or any gesture of kindness, and would be overjoyed if it happened to them.
Secondly, gifts were never ment to have utility value for the receiver. At most, when we are children we can expect that our parents may figure out what objects we desire. After that, gifts can never be expected to be what the recipient wanted. And that's why I mentioned maturity. How in the world are people who don't live with you in your house supposed to know what you want or need? That's why we as adults need to understand that it is all about the gesture, and not at all about whether the gift is useful or desired by the recipient. So put it in a drawer, give it to somebody else, or throw it away if you must.
Just like being invited to dinner isn't about stilling your hunger.
>Yes, everybody deserves the joy of giving gifts, and it doesn't matter if the receiver wants it or not.
Yup, that's the narcissist behavior.
You think you deserve to be able to treat people the way you want, and if they don't let you they're wrong, and possibly diagnosable.
>Just like being invited to dinner isn't about stilling your hunger.
You clearly also think that someone declining a dinner invitation is wrong. I'm guessing you've experienced people declining and don't understand why, I can guess.
This is borderline abusive treatment of others.
You need therapy, engaging with narcissists online is never worth it so I'm not going to reply any further.
Yup, that's the narcissist behavior.
You think you deserve to be able to treat people the way you want, and if they don't let you they're wrong, and possibly diagnosable.
>Just like being invited to dinner isn't about stilling your hunger.
You clearly also think that someone declining a dinner invitation is wrong. I'm guessing you've experienced people declining and don't understand why, I can guess.
This is borderline abusive treatment of others.
You need therapy, engaging with narcissists online is never worth it so I'm not going to reply any further.
You're making a conscious effort to not understand, so that you can feel good (maybe even feel great) about spewing insults etc. Go ahead, blow off as much steam as you like. We're just two anonymous posters on the internet.
Declining a dinner invitation is not wrong. But depending on the situation, you might not get invited again. Accepting a dinner invitation with the idea that the purpose is to still your hunger is misunderstanding what is happening. So is expecting a gift to be something which has to be useful to you. But declining a gift is a brazen insult to the giver, while declining a dinner invitation isn't.
Even as children, we're taught to say "thank you" and be grateful when we receive presents, no matter if we like them or not. So when adults are complaining here about getting gifts they don't like, then I will say that there is some maturing to do.
Even in our modern materialistic and ego centric world.
Declining a dinner invitation is not wrong. But depending on the situation, you might not get invited again. Accepting a dinner invitation with the idea that the purpose is to still your hunger is misunderstanding what is happening. So is expecting a gift to be something which has to be useful to you. But declining a gift is a brazen insult to the giver, while declining a dinner invitation isn't.
Even as children, we're taught to say "thank you" and be grateful when we receive presents, no matter if we like them or not. So when adults are complaining here about getting gifts they don't like, then I will say that there is some maturing to do.
Even in our modern materialistic and ego centric world.
> We all love finding the perfect holiday gift, but shopping can often become a chore. Endless scrolling, tracking prices and jumping between tabs — it can feel like work.
It's all so shallow and empty of any meaning. Depressingly lame what consumerism does to our traditions.
It's all so shallow and empty of any meaning. Depressingly lame what consumerism does to our traditions.
"you can save time by asking Google to call stores on your behalf."
I might have to make popcorn to watch the fallout on this idea.
I might have to make popcorn to watch the fallout on this idea.
i'm still waiting for the first recording of an interaction between two AIs that each think the other is a human
>Hello and greetings! I am a customer at your store and would very much find it ingratiating if I were to purchase a gift for my mother -- a piece of jewelry or a small trinket would be great.
>Hello! What a wonderful idea! Let me see what's available in our inventory. Would you perhaps like an ottoman, or some floor mats for her car?
>An ottoman is a great suggestion! It is not, however, a piece of jewelry. One could potentially call an ottoman a trinket as there is no clear definition of "trinket" that eliminates small furniture.
>You're absolutely right! Floor mats may be jewelry but an ottoman is not!
etc...
>Hello and greetings! I am a customer at your store and would very much find it ingratiating if I were to purchase a gift for my mother -- a piece of jewelry or a small trinket would be great.
>Hello! What a wonderful idea! Let me see what's available in our inventory. Would you perhaps like an ottoman, or some floor mats for her car?
>An ottoman is a great suggestion! It is not, however, a piece of jewelry. One could potentially call an ottoman a trinket as there is no clear definition of "trinket" that eliminates small furniture.
>You're absolutely right! Floor mats may be jewelry but an ottoman is not!
etc...
I believe you are looking for the "Annoy Customer Service Bot"
and "Bureaucrat Bot" combo discussed here
https://medium.com/luminasticity/services-of-illuminati-gang...
https://medium.com/luminasticity/services-of-illuminati-gang...
This was promised at Google I/O 2016. Still waiting.
as someone who used to work in a store, i think i'd cry.
One old lady/man calling to ask if we can hold something, completely fine, happy to help them.
100s of able people making the phones unusable with calls they would never make if they had to do it themselves, unsustainable.
One old lady/man calling to ask if we can hold something, completely fine, happy to help them.
100s of able people making the phones unusable with calls they would never make if they had to do it themselves, unsustainable.
As someone who also used to work in a store, I'd just hang up. I barely had time to answer the phone most days, ain't got time for this bullshit.
When I worked in a store I never answered the phone. Why would I prioritize someone's call over helping people there in the store who actually bothered to come in person.
Drives me nuts when I'm at a store trying to talk to someone and they step away to answer a ringing phone. I usually walk out when that happens.
Drives me nuts when I'm at a store trying to talk to someone and they step away to answer a ringing phone. I usually walk out when that happens.
Yea, it was far down my priority list. Only responding to emails was lower. At the end of my shift there'd usually be 40 to 60 unanswered calls if I was alone at the store.
God that place was awful.
God that place was awful.
Why do holiday shopping when you can do holiday slopping?
I use LLMs to find items for me all the time and it's great. I still have to use my human capacities for consideration and kindness as well as my deep understanding for the people in my life who I care about to suggest what gift I might want to get them. I still need to care. The people in my life have very specific needs and finding the right vendor for a gift involves a lot of searching and reading. Not to mention navigating the brilliant tariffs that have recently made shopping such a joy. LLM tools turn this 3-5h process into a 5 minute exploration.
I'm glad to see this being made mainstream. Hopefully nobody imagines that this will let them care less about people in their lives, since we need a lot more people to care about each other in my opinion.
I'm glad to see this being made mainstream. Hopefully nobody imagines that this will let them care less about people in their lives, since we need a lot more people to care about each other in my opinion.
> "Behind the scenes, AI does the work for you, calling to see if stores nearby have what you're looking for, how much it costs and if there are any special promos...This feature is powered by our Duplex technology"
RIP anyone who has to answer phones at a store. Also, I'm excited/horrified that Duplex is making an appearance. It seemed like it disappeared after they announced it in 2018.
RIP anyone who has to answer phones at a store. Also, I'm excited/horrified that Duplex is making an appearance. It seemed like it disappeared after they announced it in 2018.
If you’re using AI to help you get gifts for people, then you should just stop giving gifts. No surprise this is coming from a company that makes its money selling ads for other companies making shit you don’t need.
Give your loved ones the gift of not giving them more crap.
Give your loved ones the gift of not giving them more crap.
This holiday season, consider giving the gift of a well-researched gift list, and then letting them decide if they want to buy it or not. Most people don't want more stuff, they just want to know you understand them and care about them.
Google is promoting this with a holiday angle, but this is impressive versatile AI agent functionality. With the phone call capability, it sounds much more advanced than OpenAI's similar feature.
It doesn't make any sense, maybe for some people it is a pleasant thing, searching for presents for loved ones, why do someone want to give all the fun to AI? Let it do the boring and repetitive tasks, workflow automation for instance!
What is the points of gifts?
For children it is of course obvious why they enjoy gifts, they have no/few other means of obtaining these things.
But why do adult humans, who almost always have the ability to just buy the gifts, give and receive gifts?
I personally hate gifts, but I can imagine why people enjoy giving and receiving them. The reason is that it demonstrates that someone else cared, that they took their time and spent energy for you. Likewise giving a gift is an act of appreciation for the other person for the same reason.
But this also means that the idea of automating gift selection makes the whole thing redundant. What purpose is there in AI gift selection? It becomes just a stupid ritual, in which people spend money to fulfill some social obligation.
But why do adult humans, who almost always have the ability to just buy the gifts, give and receive gifts?
I personally hate gifts, but I can imagine why people enjoy giving and receiving them. The reason is that it demonstrates that someone else cared, that they took their time and spent energy for you. Likewise giving a gift is an act of appreciation for the other person for the same reason.
But this also means that the idea of automating gift selection makes the whole thing redundant. What purpose is there in AI gift selection? It becomes just a stupid ritual, in which people spend money to fulfill some social obligation.
For generations, the tradition in my family has been that only children get gifts on holidays. Adults do not (except for gifts given by children to adults).
Adult do give gifts to each other, but not because of holidays. The gifts are because someone saw something and thought "Joe would really love this". They're a way of saying "I thought of you."
Adult do give gifts to each other, but not because of holidays. The gifts are because someone saw something and thought "Joe would really love this". They're a way of saying "I thought of you."
Everyone I know eventually comes to this conclusion as an adult. All my friends pretty much have "no gift" agreements with their spouses/partners.
I give thoughtful gifts. It would never occur to me to order Amazon slop just to mark some meaningless occasion as mandated by social/adbiz pressure.
The missus reads a lot so whatever book she mentioned that she'd like to read is usually my go to lol.
The missus reads a lot so whatever book she mentioned that she'd like to read is usually my go to lol.
Yeah that's sensible. Obligatory gifting for birthdays/holidays is what I was really talking about.
An occasional thoughtful "surprise" gift is different and I wasn't intending to exclude that.
An occasional thoughtful "surprise" gift is different and I wasn't intending to exclude that.
I've never connected with how most people do holiday shopping. "Ill just spend $50 on something you want, and you just spend $50 on something I want, and we'll be done!"
Even more degenerate is "You tell me something I should buy, and I'll tell you something you should buy!" At that point the holidays have evolved into a justification of consumerism.
At that point I just stop gift exchanges. To me the point of holiday shopping is to find something they would enjoy that they never would have thought of getting themself. I know its hard, but isn't that the point? It's supposed to be a time of thoughtfulness not "let me just spend $100 and get it over with".
Even more degenerate is "You tell me something I should buy, and I'll tell you something you should buy!" At that point the holidays have evolved into a justification of consumerism.
At that point I just stop gift exchanges. To me the point of holiday shopping is to find something they would enjoy that they never would have thought of getting themself. I know its hard, but isn't that the point? It's supposed to be a time of thoughtfulness not "let me just spend $100 and get it over with".
DDOS by Google calls sure is interesting.
This circumvents the whole thoughtfulness of gifting thing.
I predict a resurgence in homemade gifts will the eventual backlash to this flavor of soulless consumerism.
Time to go ask ChatGPT what thoughtful homemade gifts I can make for my loved ones.
I predict a resurgence in homemade gifts will the eventual backlash to this flavor of soulless consumerism.
Time to go ask ChatGPT what thoughtful homemade gifts I can make for my loved ones.
Next up: an agent that manages returning impersonal, unwanted gifts and getting a refund. Then, it can delegate to the gift buying agent who can use the funds to buy more gifts!
It's hard to avoid putting my sarcasm hat on. There we go. Finally. The AI killer APP. Not only can we supercharge consumerism by automatically buying amazon slop for your loved ones. But there are whole new product landscapes to monetize - the gift slop stream, the shops optimized for AI to buy the gifts from, the ads for the AI optimized Shopify sites, the SEO for the ads for the AI optimized shopping. And there are even new frontiers to disrupt - what if we skip the AD and SEO middleman and pay chatbots directly for traffic. Amazing.
The circus that neoliberal capitalism puts on to keep the show going...
As time goes on, tech seems to become increasingly detached from the lifestyles of normal people. AI friends, automated gift-giving, sunglasses you can talk to. Nobody wants this — it doesn’t meet people where they’re at and resolve real friction in their lives — but billions will be spent convincing us otherwise.
Maybe this is a side effect of tech workers themselves becoming more detached from the rest of the population. You are statistically unlikely to get a job at Google or Meta if you were not cultivated from day one as a high-achieving box ticking grinder. Anything that does not contribute to TC maximization is unimportant here. Beauty, human experiences, and other such intangibles are irrelevant in that worldview.
SV didn’t used to be this way; there were all different manners of perspective and smarts, which led to genuine innovation. Now we are dominated mostly by a hybrid of hyper-efficient, paperclip maximizing engineering and sociopathic MBA share price optimization.
Maybe this is a side effect of tech workers themselves becoming more detached from the rest of the population. You are statistically unlikely to get a job at Google or Meta if you were not cultivated from day one as a high-achieving box ticking grinder. Anything that does not contribute to TC maximization is unimportant here. Beauty, human experiences, and other such intangibles are irrelevant in that worldview.
SV didn’t used to be this way; there were all different manners of perspective and smarts, which led to genuine innovation. Now we are dominated mostly by a hybrid of hyper-efficient, paperclip maximizing engineering and sociopathic MBA share price optimization.
What is the point of this? Shopping is the primary reason people work, people love shopping. Not only that, people don't know what they what to buy so they learn in by looking at the options for ideas.
Also, the point of buying presents isn't charity or wealth transfer but thinking about the person.
This is a the case of having a solution looking for a problem.
Also, the point of buying presents isn't charity or wealth transfer but thinking about the person.
This is a the case of having a solution looking for a problem.
Maybe I'm unusual but I hate shopping, especially when it involves wandering randomly through a store looking for something that I haven't identified in advance.
I work to pay the mortgage, pay for food, pay the utilities, and pay for other necessities in life. Shopping as entertainment is way down on the list.
I work to pay the mortgage, pay for food, pay the utilities, and pay for other necessities in life. Shopping as entertainment is way down on the list.
[deleted]
> people love shopping
After going back and forth on this many times, I have concluded: some people love shopping and some people hate shopping. Members of one group generally have trouble understanding the other group also exists.
After going back and forth on this many times, I have concluded: some people love shopping and some people hate shopping. Members of one group generally have trouble understanding the other group also exists.
I'm member of the group hating to shop for clothes but love shopping most other things.
The reason I hate shopping for clothes is that I don't understand it, I feel overwhelmed and I despise trying clothes on and off. Still, I wouldn't let an AI do my clothes shopping because it doesn't solve my core problem of not knowing what to buy and trying it on.
The reason I hate shopping for clothes is that I don't understand it, I feel overwhelmed and I despise trying clothes on and off. Still, I wouldn't let an AI do my clothes shopping because it doesn't solve my core problem of not knowing what to buy and trying it on.
Depends on use cases, I suppose. I knew someone with a lot of nieces and nephews. She would buy them all whatever Amazon said was the hot toy that year for each kid’s age. She would definitely shop with AI. A little crass, sure, but real shopper behavior.
Interesting but what's the point here? Just give the nephews some money and let them figure out what they want themselves.
Many people want to give gifts instead of cash, rational or not. The point is, if the use cases exist, it’s not strange for software to address them.
> Shopping is the primary reason people work, people love shopping.
A whole lot of people really hate shopping.
> Also, the point of buying presents isn't charity or wealth transfer but thinking about the person.
True, which is why I think this sort of tool is antihuman BS. Especially for people who don't like shopping. Someone who I know hates shopping spending time doing it because they want to express how they feel about me makes it an even more meaningful gift. I appreciate a gift someone put effort into more than a gift they didn't, regardless of how much I actually want the thing being given.
A whole lot of people really hate shopping.
> Also, the point of buying presents isn't charity or wealth transfer but thinking about the person.
True, which is why I think this sort of tool is antihuman BS. Especially for people who don't like shopping. Someone who I know hates shopping spending time doing it because they want to express how they feel about me makes it an even more meaningful gift. I appreciate a gift someone put effort into more than a gift they didn't, regardless of how much I actually want the thing being given.
It is insane that the thoughtful act of gift giving has been reduced into a checklist item. What is the point anymore?
Our family stopped doing gifts after it had devolved into just selecting items off of each person's Amazon wishlist.
Yet another instance of tech bros trying to automate away the things that humans should be doing instead of trying to automate away actually hard or dangerous things that humans should _not_ be doing.
I can't imagine how useless an unthinking AI would be at this when my own family and friends who, and this is important, _know me_, can't find anything to get me that doesn't land in the above categories. I wouldn't have expected gifts to be a source of AI resource waste, but I must not be very imaginative.