The Times Australia
The Times World News

.
The Times Real Estate

.

AI can’t do your Christmas shopping just yet – but next year might be different

  • Written by Jon Whittle, Director, Data61

I’m a computer scientist and a bad Christmas shopper. Over the weekend, I wondered whether AI systems might be able to help me out.

Could I just prompt ChatGPT to pick a personalised gift for my cousin Johnny and have it shipped in time to reach him? Alas, the cheerful chatbot couldn’t help, telling me it “can’t make purchases or handle shipping directly”.

In the two years since ChatGPT launched, we have seen wave after wave of AI products and features promising to save us from mundane tasks. Yet so far, gift shopping is beyond them – apart from the odd built-in chatbot on a shopping site or app.

However, things may be different by next Christmas. One thing many experts expect in 2025 is the rise of AI agents: bots that can take actions on your behalf in the real world.

Agents are already here

An AI agent can do more than just suggest where you can get a Santa suit. It can buy it for you and have it delivered to your door.

And the vision for “agentic AI” is that teams of AI agents will work together. You would give your team of agents a prompt:

I’m cooking Christmas dinner this year. Find my closest Facebook friends, send them invites, make sure one of them is a chef and tell them to bring the turkey.

The agents would sort it all, without you ever having to lift a finger. Crucially, AI agents should have the ability to coordinate across multiple websites.

In fact, limited AI agents are already here. A report[1] by AI developer Langchain claims 51% of respondents to its survey already use AI agents in production.

In 2024, venture funds invested an estimated US$1.8 billion[2] in AI agent projects. Deloitte’s latest Global Predictions Report[3] argues 25% of companies that use generative AI will launch agentic AI projects in 2025.

Research firm Gartner predicts[4] that by 2028, 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made by AI agents.

Agents for everybody?

We are also seeing agents for consumers beginning to emerge. These are systems that could potentially automate many browser-based tasks (including shopping).

In October, Anthropic – the company behind the popular Claude generative AI bot – released a “computer use[5]” feature that allows the AI to take over a user’s mouse and keyboard to browse and take actions on any website.

Education expert Leon Furze created a demo using computer use[6] to automatically browse to a learning management system, open the page for an assignment, create text for the assignment, and click the submit button. All done automatically from a single text prompt.

More recently, Google Deepmind released its own version, Project Mariner[7], which similarly allows an AI to autonomously navigate and carry out actions in the Chrome browser.

Both these systems are still early versions, with Project Mariner only available to a trusted set of testers. But they hint at what’s to come.

You can’t use either of these tools today to automate your Christmas shopping – at least, not easily. So what would be needed to make a truly useful Christmas shopping AI agent?

The technology exists

The technology side of a shopping agent is relatively straightforward. As a user, I might want to give a prompt such as

Send photo gifts to my family in England. Select some fun family photos from my phone, search for a website that does photo gifts, order appropriate gifts for each family member, and send using my address book.

Executing this would require multiple AI agents: one to find the photos, one to find the shopping sites, one to personalise the gifts, a credit card agent to buy them, and an address-finding agent.

Whether through computer use, Project Mariner, or some other AI agent platform, there is no technological reason why this can’t be done today.

The trust problem

However, there are two significant barriers to making AI agents useful.

First, and most obvious, is trust. Would you trust an AI agent with your credit card details?

Despite two years of advances in AI since ChatGPT, hallucinations – where the AI doesn’t know an answer and so simply makes something up – are still a problem.

A recent study[8] showed that even in AI programming – one of the most popular and valuable uses of AI – 52% of AI-generated answers to coding questions contained errors.

It only takes one error from the AI to send Aunty Molly’s gift to Uncle Joe. And let’s just hope it’s a harmless error such as poor gift matching, not leaking your bank account details.

What agents need to know

The second and less obvious barrier is that for AI agents to be useful, they need to understand context. Even with something relatively simple like buying gifts, context is everything.

I have years of knowledge about what my mother likes. I won’t always get it right, but I’ll do a lot better than a generic AI response. This knowledge is usually tacit and there’s simply no way ChatGPT can have access to the rich history of human interactions that lead to that perfect gift.

Having said that, AI bots are already recording information about their users. To prove this, just ask ChatGPT, “What do you know about me?” Depending on your settings, you might be surprised by the answer.

Perhaps at some point the AI systems we use regularly will know enough about us and our family that Christmas shopping can be fully automated.

But this year, I will still have to attend to it myself. Bah humbug!

References

  1. ^ report (www.langchain.com)
  2. ^ an estimated US$1.8 billion (www.globaldata.com)
  3. ^ Global Predictions Report (www.deloitte.com)
  4. ^ predicts (www.gartner.com)
  5. ^ computer use (www.anthropic.com)
  6. ^ demo using computer use (leonfurze.com)
  7. ^ Project Mariner (deepmind.google)
  8. ^ recent study (dl.acm.org)

Read more https://theconversation.com/ai-cant-do-your-christmas-shopping-just-yet-but-next-year-might-be-different-246132

The Times Features

Fast, Fun, And Fantastic Looking Gel Polish For Your Nails!

Today's women spend a lot of time and money on their beauty and fashion regime because they love looking their very best! Looking good makes you feel good, and let's face it, it...

Energy-Efficient Roof Restoration Trends to Watch in Sydney

As climate consciousness rises and energy costs soar, energy-efficient roof restoration has become a significant focus in Sydney. Whether you're renovating an old roof or enhan...

Brisbane Water Bill Savings: Practical Tips to Reduce Costs

Brisbane residents have been feeling the pinch as water costs continue to climb. With increasing prices, it's no wonder many households are searching for ways to ease the burde...

Exploring Hybrid Heating Systems for Modern Homes

Consequently, energy efficiency as well as sustainability are two major considerations prevalent in the current market for homeowners and businesses alike. Hence, integrated heat...

Are Dental Implants Right for You? Here’s What to Think About

Dental implants are now among the top solutions for those seeking to replace and improve their teeth. But are dental implants suitable for you? Here you will find out more about ...

Sunglasses don’t just look good – they’re good for you too. Here’s how to choose the right pair

Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels[1] of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we tend to focus on avoiding UV damage to our skin, it’s impor...

Times Magazine

Micke Lindebergh will be put on display across Mirvac’s retail centres

Shoppers at Mirvac retail centres are in for an exciting experience this spring, as vibrant and larger than-life artworks by the renowned artist Micke Lindebergh will be put on display across Mirvac’s  retail centres.  The display of Lindebergh’...

Best Brisbane Personal Injury Lawyers: Finding No-Win, No-Fee Lawyers to Represent You

Navigating a personal injury claim can be an overwhelming experience, particularly when compounded by the financial stress that often accompanies trauma. Fortunately, Brisbane boasts a number of personal injury lawyers who offer no win, no fee arra...

Upgrade Your Pet's Sleep Space: The Benefits of Washable Dog Beds for a Cozy Haven

Is your furry friend in need of a better night's sleep? Look no further! In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of washable dog beds and how they can transform your pet's sleep space into a cozy haven. Say goodbye to smelly, worn-out cushi...

Mastering the art of food photography by Kirsty Owen, WOW Pictures

Food photography is the ultimate in visual storytelling.  From the crispy, delicate croissant to be indulged at daybreak,  the glistening cocktail set against the sunset, to the appetising cheese on offer at a regional food festival, food photograp...

Australians can now recycle unwanted sports balls

It’s predicted that 330 million sports balls are made worldwide each year – but where do they end up? TreadLightly launches new SPORTS BALL recycling program.[1] TreadLightly today launches its new SPORTS BALL recycling program, aimed at reduci...

The Benefits of Rooftop Gardens

Rooftop gardens have a long history, dating back to the ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats constructed between 4000 and 600 BC, like most things from thousands of years ago. The roof gardens created a set of steps along the stepped pyramid's outside...

LayBy Shopping