Tom, the turkey in The new Google commercialIt’s a stuffed animal, the kind of stuffed animal you might find on a couch. To avoid Thanksgiving, you ask Google’s “AI Mode” to direct you to a destination where the holiday doesn’t exist. The 30-second ad isn’t just about AI; is by AI: Google’s first commercial made entirely with its AI generation systems to be launched on television.
Tom may be a caricature, but he’s close to the mood right now. This year, many Thanksgiving decisions—what ends up in the oven, how much families spend, how the day is remembered—may be influenced by artificial intelligence.
I’m not talking about some tech-savvy hosts making ChatGPT whip up a pumpkin pie recipe. TO recent survey by software company Qlik found that 54 percent of respondents said they had used AI to help plan, prepare or cook a holiday meal. Among younger adults, the figure was 58 percent, but even a quarter of baby boomers reported doing so. About a third of people said they would trust AI more than family members to make a Thanksgiving shopping list. Part of the motivation is to save money: more than half rely on AI to reduce costs. AI can search for deals, compare brands, and find items within a proposed budget, taking into account the number of guests and dietary restrictions. Sometimes robots place your order online; Sometimes they tell you which store near you has the cheapest boxed filling.
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AI is starting to look like just another kitchen appliance, which in turn is becoming more algorithmic, able to recognize the foods you want to cook and adjust the temperature and time appropriately. Some even learn their preferences. Humans still control these tools, but the judgment usually reserved for experienced cooks seems to be switching to machines. Thanksgiving may not require human cooks in the future.
AI is also changing the way we communicate. With so little free time and so much pressure to be perfect, many who have never cooked a turkey could use a chatbot to guide them step by step, feeling safer asking “stupid questions” in private. People even report using AI Conversation prompts to generate lively discussions at the table.. AI can generate the toast, the prayer, the party games, and the poem read before dessert.
It can even transform our memories. The platforms promote “Thanksgiving dinner portrait“Picture effects that transform photos into banquet scenes with warm lighting and a perfectly laid out table. Other presets promise Outdoor Thanksgiving Golden Hour. Some sites advertise Thanksgiving with AI image generators for greeting cards and seasonal marketing. In the effect galleries, cozy Thanksgiving kitchen filters can be placed next to boyfriend or girlfriend AI generators. A smiling companion or extra guest can be conjured up as easily as pumpkin pie.
With 72 percent of teenagers Having used AI for company, one could sneak away from the table to vent to a robot about a tense political debate. A young adult could message an AI “buddy” when familiar dating questions become invasive. The output could be useful or could replace the work of maintaining relationships with the humans passing the mashed potatoes.
So is this our first AI Thanksgiving? In a sense, no. Global and national food systems have been computerized for decades, and supermarket chains began using algorithms for logistics and pricing long before we heard the phrase “generative AI.” We all rely on algorithms for weather forecasts, route planning, flight bookings, and online ordering.
In another sense, the answer could be yes. For many, this may be the first holiday where AI helps decide what is put on the table, what we say, and how we appear to others.
Or maybe we’re asking the wrong question and this isn’t our first AI Thanksgiving: it’s theirs. All of our searches for cranberry sauce and gluten-free stuffing—every leaked photo, every venting session with a chatbot—are the real harvest: data from millions of households, millions of side dishes, millions of negotiations over where to sit and what to say. We can easily imagine, in years to come, someone placing a seat for a tablet or robot and asking it what it is grateful for. If your answer is convincing, it will be because AI is already at our table, studying our messy paths.
Although disturbing, the perspective is also an invitation. If we are going to be written in code, we will be able to decide what the AI sees. We can let it record an optimized robotic evening, or we can leave glitches: embarrassing toasts, typical disagreements, and spontaneous jokes. That way, when future models tell us about Thanksgiving, they’ll respond that a successful holiday can feel a little botched.
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