The worst Christmas gift I ever gave

It was absolutely perfect. And it was way too late.

This is a RARE paywalled essay for subscribers only. Thanks for your support!! There’s no Saturday edition this week, on account of Thanksgiving — but sending warm virtual wishes to you & yours. xx

I wrote a brief post last December about the philosophy of AI gift bots. It was, at the time, a bit of a gag — a highly seasonal thought experiment. 

What makes a good gift, really? I asked. What makes any human gesture worthwhile or meaningful? 

Reader: The ensuing emotional mind-fuck took me 12 months to untangle. 

You don’t have to read my original post to understand this saga. Suffice it to say that I, tasked with buying Christmas gifts for a challenging assortment of relatives actual and in-law, decided to trial an AI bot that generated “thoughtful” recommendations. You told the bot a little about your giftee; you nudged it along its bumbling course. It spit out a series of suggested products. Some I purchased and most I ignored.