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.
Technology is great, but it's also great for greedy people.
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.
"I wound the coils myself!"
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The missus reads a lot so whatever book she mentioned that she'd like to read is usually my go to lol.
Give your loved ones the gift of not giving them more crap.
It's all so shallow and empty of any meaning. Depressingly lame what consumerism does to our traditions.
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.
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".
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.
SoftTalker•1h ago
I might have to make popcorn to watch the fallout on this idea.
ratelimitsteve•1h ago
>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...
bryanrasmussen•1h ago
https://medium.com/luminasticity/services-of-illuminati-gang...
sethops1•1h ago
lawlessone•1h ago
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.
encom•1h ago
SoftTalker•52m ago
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.