Professional Book Nerd vs. ChatGPT: Who Recommended Better

With all this chatter that ChatGPT will take over the world, those of us over at Tailored Book Recommendations (TBR) decided to see if AI is about to put us all out of work. TBR is our subscription based service that matches customers with their own professional book nerd, AKA bibliologist, who recommends three books per quarter based on the customer’s interests. When customers sign up for TBR, they fill out a short survey about their reading likes and dislikes, and let us know if there’s anything in particular they want to explore. Armed with a couple sample surveys and a ChatGPT login, I set out to see if I, an actual human bibliologist, could out-recommend ChatGPT’s algorithms.

An excellent book! But not right for this customer since it includes graphic violence towards animals, which the customer specifically asked to avoid. 

Instead, I’d go with The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi. It’s an epic fantasy that follows three interconnected characters as they navigate a society where the color of one’s blood determines their role. This one is perfect for this customer since it is told through multiple perspectives and takes its inspiration from Arabian and African mythologies, fulfilling the request for non-Western fantasy.

Another great read — one of my favorites in fact. But I wouldn’t recommend it to a TBR customer since it’s already very popular and even has a TV adaptation. One of the benefits of TBR is we avoid picking books that already have a wide readership and instead hunt for more under-the-radar reads that customers aren’t as likely to have found on their own. 

My pick would be We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen; a psychological horror novel set aboard a spaceship sent to colonize a remote moon. I think it’d be a good fit for the customer since they enjoy both sci-fi and horror, and the book’s futuristic setting and inclusion of android characters also pushes it into the speculative category.

Ah yes, because a customer who enjoyed the first book in a series definitely needs a professional to suggest they read the second. File this under, “things your bibliologist will never do.” Instead, I’d go with The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker. Not only is it an imaginative YA fantasy that weaves British and Japanese folklore, but it also branches out some from the customer’s usual interests with its historical London setting. 

Again, considering that this was one of the best selling books of 2018, I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded it exists, as good as it is.  

Instead, I would go with Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. It’s a newly released memoir by an anonymous queer Muslim woman. With some similar themes as The Ugly Cry, including coming-of-age and belonging, I think the customer will enjoy this unique perspective and be drawn in Lamya’s strong voice.

I’d recommend a graphic novel called Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti. Featuring dreamy illustrations, the story follows two nonbinary characters from opposite sides of an interplanetary war who collide and form a deep friendship that may grow into more. Since the customer doesn’t mention reading graphic novels, I think this will be a great way for them to explore a new-to-them genre while keeping with the hopeful tone they’ve enjoyed in other books.

Another missed opportunity for a hidden gem! Since this customer wants to be recommended a mix of genres, I decided to go with Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes — a cozy mystery about a food anthropologist who winds up needing to solve a murder. It hits on the customer’s request for a light read while still being outside their comfort zone.

When it comes down to it, ChatGPT isn’t awful at recommending books, it just isn’t very creative. If you ask it for sci-fi, you’ll get Brandon Sanderson and Frank Herbert. Ask for horror and it’ll churn out Stephen King and Shirley Jackson. Request literary fiction and it’ll suggest F. Scott Fitzgerald and Harper Lee. And as we saw, it tends toward recommending best sellers, and, unless you specify you’re looking for diversity, white authors. It can’t seem to figure out how to avoid books that contain certain triggers and doesn’t really grasp the request to expand literary horizons. This experiment shows that once again, AI is a useful tool that can be outdone by a real human brain. If you’re interested in seeing what a real human being recommends for your next favorite book, come check out TBR!