I used ChatGPT to pick out the perfect Valentine's Day gift — here's what happened

ChatGPT logo on a smartphone screen being held outside
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Finding the perfect Valentine's Day gift shouldn't feel like a puzzle. Instead of falling back on the usual chocolates and flowers, I decided to try a new approach: I asked ChatGPT, to be my personal gift advisor.

From analyzing shared interests to suggesting unique ideas based on our relationship, I wanted to see if AI could make Valentine's shopping easier and more thoughtful. The results genuinely surprised me. Through several conversations with ChatGPT, I not only discovered genuinely unique gift ideas but also learned a better way to approach gift-giving.

What started as a simple experiment became a valuable tool for finding meaningful presents. Whether you're stuck for ideas or just curious about AI's gift-giving abilities, here's how to get the most helpful Valentine's suggestions from ChatGPT.

1. Start with the basics

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For the first prompt, being specific is crucial—the more detail you provide, the more tailored the suggestions will be. First, I gave ChatGPT essential information about my relationship using this prompt:

"I need help choosing a Valentine's gift for my [partner/spouse] of [X years/months]. They love [specific interests/hobbies], and my budget is [$X].

2. Refine your preferences

(Image: © Tom's Guide)

Tell ChatGPT a little bit about your gift-giving preferences, whether you prefer experiences over objects, handmade versus bought gifts, and if there were any gift types to avoid. This prompt allows ChatGPT to narrow down the appropriate options.

We prefer [experiences/physical gifts]. They particularly enjoy [specific types of gifts] but don't like [what to avoid]. Some of our favorite shared activities include [examples].

3. Consider recent interests

(Image: © Tom's Guide)

You can also provide information on any recents interests, to really personlize the gift. To do this, try the prompt below:

In the past year, they've become interested in [new hobbies/activities]. They recently mentioned wanting to try [specific activity/item] and have been talking about [recent interests].

4. Get specific suggestions

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Now you've provided all the context and received a ton of suggestions from ChatGPT, its time to narrow down your choices.

Based on this information, what are 5 specific gift ideas that combine their interests and our shared experiences? Please include both practical and romantic options at different price points.

What's great about ChatGPT's response here, is that it breaks down exactly why these are great options for you personally, and the inclusion of pricing helps keep the budget in check.

5. Review and compare

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Finally, I asked ChatGPT to evaluate options using the prompt:

Can you help me compare these options based on: practicality, romantic value, long-term enjoyment, and alignment with their interests? Which would have the most meaning given what I've shared?

ChatGPT not only provided thoughtful gift suggestions but went above and beyond by creating this detailed comparison table, rating each option across multiple factors and even offering specific recommendations based on different preferences. This breakdown made it much easier to make an informed decision about which gift would resonate most with my partner.


Now that you've learned how to use ChatGPT to find the perfect Valentine's gift, why not check out our other AI articles? Explore ChatGPT's new free o3-mini model is mind-blowing — 5 prompts to try first and I tested ChatGPT vs DeepSeek with 7 prompts. And if you're interested in DeepSeek, here are 5 prompts to try first.

Kaycee Hill
Tutorials editor

Kaycee is an Editor at Tom’s Guide and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her journey into the tech world began as Cazoo's Knowledge Content Specialist, igniting her enthusiasm for technology. When she’s not exploring the latest gadgets and innovations, Kaycee can be found immersed in her favorite video games, or penning her second poetry collection. 

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