Bookseller faces pushback after criticizing customer for using ChatGPT to inscribe baby shower gift: 'Maybe this woman was going through a lot'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Nov 4, 2026 7:45 AM EST

Was she out of her depth, or just feeling lazy?

It is common for critics of AI to point out that it is kind of worrying that a lot of people who use these services seem to bypass using them for the boring, repetitive stuff and go straight to automating all of the things that require creativity, thought, and emotion. Artificial intelligence is probably here to stay, and it has some genuinely positive uses! However, those that involve trying to replicate the human creative process remain controversial.

As somebody who has loved words all my life, it is kind of incomprehensible to me that people would want to rely on AI to give them the words they need for everything from writing emails to wedding vows. Still, it is a task that many would prefer to outsource instead of putting in the work themselves. What it lacks in a personal touch, it makes up for in convenience. Writer's block is bad enough when you actually enjoy writing, let alone when you have always found it to be a chore.

Still, it is good to do things that challenge us now and again instead of taking the easy way out all the time. Arguably, this is also one of the main arguments against the current application of AI. Being able to write a couple of sentences is a pretty basic skill, and it doesn't say anything positive if somebody insists on avoiding it by any means necessary. We can't forget our capabilities.

*_{Shelves of books in a bookstore. Stock photography for depiction only.}*

A couple of years ago, an acquaintance of mine told me that he had used ChatGPT to help him write the best man speech for the wedding of one of his closest friends. I was taken aback, but it seems like this is far from an uncommon experience. Although it could be argued that our phones have us writing more words than ever, stringing them together in a way that looks good for a special moment can be an overwhelming task. It might take the feeling out of it to use AI, but it also takes the pressure off.

This was part of the argument when people pushed back on a cashier who wrote a poem about being upset after selling a children's book to a woman who needed a gift for a baby shower. The parents had requested books as gifts, and she used AI to dictate what she wanted inscribed on the book. She felt that this customer was doing something that was unnecessary, but some of her audience insisted that she needed to put herself in her shoes. Others were less sympathetic to what this customer had done, though.