Uh-oh. You waited until the very last minute to get gifts together for the gift-giving, ho-ho-ho season. You also don't want, or can't afford, to spend any money on those gifts you waited until the last minute to not get.
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Whether this is your first time on the Naughty Not-Gift-Giving list or you're a repeat offender, there's still plenty of opportunity to stay in the good graces of the people you care about most this season.
Here's a list of gifts you can create using artificial intelligence tools that might distract your loved ones from the fact that you didn't wrap it yourself.
Storybooks for special kids
An AI-generated image of a fire truck
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
Not many people have the money or connections to commission an artist and a professional writer to create a holiday-themed bedtime story or coloring book just for the little kids or very bored adults in their lives.
Through the power of AI, you can create a special bedtime tradition that can be passed down through generations with only ChatGPT and free online design tool, Canva, as your resources. Here's how:
Step 1: Log into ChatGPT, or any other text prompt-based AI chat tool, and ask it to write you a short story using the names and preferences of kids and adults alike as major themes or elements. For my experiment, I asked it to write me a short children's bedtime story with a holiday theme where the main character is a fire truck named Henry whose parents are named Jennifer and Andrew. ChatGPT immediately produced a 500-word story that was actually pretty good.
Step 2: Make any edits you might need to make to the story ChatGPT comes up with.
Step 3: Create an account and log into Canva's free Magic Media tool, a text-to-image generator.
Step 4: Copy and paste the text from the story from ChatGPT into Canva and select the images you'd like to accompany each page.
An AI-generated image of a holiday picture book
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
Recipe book
You don't even have to know how to boil water to give a unique cookbook to the wannabe celebrity chef in your life, and you could create a cookbook of recipes designed entirely and specifically for one individual using AI tools.
Step 1: Ask ChatGPT or another text prompt based AI tool of your choosing to give you as many recipes as it can think of using a certain favorite ingredient or preferred dish.
A screenshot of a ChatGPT answer about unique quesadilla recipes
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
Step 2: Use a free AI text-to-image generator, like openart.ai, to add some imagery to the sumptuous procedurally generated recipes and create a cover for your custom cookbook.
Step 3: Drop these images and recipes into a Word document or Google Docs, print to PDF and send it along to the gourmet-minded gift recipient.
A screenshot of using OpenArt AI to generate an image of a quesadilla
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
Sentimental moments
Sometimes the holidays can be a little hard when we remember loved ones long passed, but AI tools like RunwayML, which use generative algorithms to turn still images into live action footage, offer a window into a world in which you might get to see a video of that person smiling again.
Step 1: Sign up or log into RunwayML.
Step 2: Select Start a New Session.
A screenshot of AI app Act-One
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
Step 3: Upload an image of the person, pet or other scene you'd like to animate.
Step 4: Give the tool some information about what you'd like to happen in the animation and click "Generate."
Step 5: Download and share!
If you're worried these AI-produced gifts won't pass muster this holiday season, just remember the best things in life are free, it's the thought that counts and at the rate online activity is evolving, in-real-life gifts may be old hat next year anyway. Happy holidays!
A screenshot of using AI to reanimate a photo
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET