Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 8-14

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 8-14:

Dec. 8: Singer Jerry Butler is 85. Flute player James Galway is 85. Drummer Bobby Elliott of The Hollies is 83. Actor Mary Woronov (“Eating Raoul,” “The Munsters” films) is 81. Actor John Rubinstein (“Family,” ″Crazy Like a Fox”) is 78. Actor Kim Basinger is 71. Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (Duran Duran, Missing Persons) is 68. Guitarist Phil Collen of Def Leppard is 67. Country singer Marty Raybon (The Raybon Brothers, Shenandoah) is 65. Guitarist Marty Friedman (Megadeth) is 62. Actor Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Treme”) is 61. Actor Teri Hatcher is 60. Actor David Harewood (“Supergirl,” ″Homeland”) is 59. Actor Matthew Laborteaux (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 58. Guitarist Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel is 52. Actor Dominic Monaghan (“Lost,” ″Lord of the Rings”) is 48. Actor Ian Somerhalder (“The Vampire Diaries,” ″Lost,”) is 46. Singer Ingrid Michaelson is 45. Singer Chrisette Michele is 42. Country singer Sam Hunt is 40. Singer Kate Voegele (“One Tree Hill”) is 38. Drummer Jen Ledger of Skillet is 35. Actor Wallis Currie-Wood (“Madam Secretary”) is 33. Actor AnnaSophia Robb (film’s “Race to Witch Mountain,” TV’s “The Carrie Diaries”) is 31.

Dec. 9: Actor Judi Dench is 90. Actor Beau Bridges is 83. Actor Michael Nouri is 79. Singer Joan Armatrading is 74. Actor Michael Dorn (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 72. Actor John Malkovich is 71. Country singer Sylvia is 68. Singer Donny Osmond is 67. Bassist Nick Seymour of Crowded House is 66. Comedian Mario Cantone (“Sex and the City”) is 65. Actor David Anthony Higgins (“Mike and Molly,” “Malcolm in the Middle”) is 63. Actor Joe Lando (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is 63. Actor Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives,” ″Sports Night”) is 62. Keyboardist Jerry Hughes of Yankee Grey is 59. Singer-guitarist Thomas Flowers of Oleander is 57. Guitarist Brian Bell of Weezer is 56. Singer-guitarist Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers is 55. Businesswoman and TV personality Lori Greiner (“Shark Tank”) is 55. Actor Allison Smith (“The West Wing,” ″Kate and Allie”) is 55. Former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi is 54. Country singer David Kersh is 54. Actor Reiko Aylesworth (“24″) is 52. Drummer Tre Cool of Green Day is 52. Rapper Canibus is 50. Singer Imogen Heap is 47. Actor Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”) is 46. Actor Simon Helberg (“The Big Bang Theory”) is 44. Actor Jolene Purdy (“Under the Dome,” ″Donnie Darko”) is 41. Actor Ashleigh Brewer (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 34.

Dec. 10: Actor Fionnula Flanagan (“Waking Ned Devine”) is 83. Actor-singer Gloria Loring is 78. Drummer Walter “Clyde” Orange of The Commodores is 78. Country singer Johnny Rodriguez is 73. Actor Susan Dey is 72. Musician Paul Hardcastle is 67. Actor John J. York (“General Hospital”) is 66. Actor-director Kenneth Branagh is 64. Actor Nia Peeples is 63. TV chef Bobby Flay is 60. Singer-guitarist J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. is 59. Bassist Scot Alexander of Dishwalla is 53. Drummer Meg White of The White Stripes is 50. Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Superman and Lois,” “Entourage”) is 49. Rapper Kuniva of D12 is 49. Actor Gavin Houston (“The Haves and the Have Nots,” “Guiding Light”) is 47. Bassist Noah Harmon of Airborne Toxic Event is 43. Actor Patrick John Flueger (“Chicago P.D.”) is 41. Country singer Meghan Linsey is 39. Actor Raven-Symone (“That’s So Raven,” ″The Cosby Show”) is 39. Actor-singer Teyana Taylor is 34. Actor Kiki Layne (“Coming 2 America,” “If Beale Street Could Talk”) is 33.

Dec. 11: Actor Rita Moreno is 93. Singer David Gates of Bread is 84. Actor Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”) is 84. Actor Lynda Day George (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) is 80. Singer Brenda Lee is 80. Actor Bess Armstrong is 71. Singer Jermaine Jackson is 70. Bassist Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens is 67. Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 66. Actor Ben Browder (“Stargate SG-1”) is 62. Singer-bassist Justin Currie of Del Amitri is 60. Bassist David Schools of Widespread Panic is 60. Actor Gary Dourdan (“C.S.I.”) is 58. Actor-comedian Mo’Nique is 57. Actor Max Martini (“The Unit”) is 55. Rapper-actor Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) is 51. Actor Rider Strong (“Boy Meets World”) is 45. Actor Xosha Roquemore (“The Mindy Project,” “Precious”) is 40. Actor Karla Souza (“How to Get Away With Murder”) is 38. Actor-singer Hailee Steinfeld is 28.

Dec. 12: Singer Connie Francis is 87. Singer Dionne Warwick is 84. Actor Wings Hauser is 77. Actor Bill Nighy (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) is 75. Actor Duane Chase (“The Sound of Music”) is 74. Country singer La Costa is 74. Gymnast-turned-actor Cathy Rigby is 72. Singer-percussionist Sheila E. is 67. Actor Sheree J. Wilson (“Walker, Texas Ranger,” ″Dallas”) is 66. Guitarist Eric Schenkman of Spin Doctors is 61. Bassist Nicholas Dimichino of Nine Days is 57. Actor Madchen Amick (“My Own Worst Enemy,” ″Twin Peaks”) is 54. Actor Jennifer Connelly is 54. Actor Regina Hall is 54. Actor Mayim Bialik (“Jeopardy,” “The Big Bang Theory”) is 49. Actor Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased,” ″Manchester by the Sea”) is 28. Actor Sky Katz (“Raven’s Home”) is 20.

Dec. 13: Actor Dick Van Dyke is 99. Country singer Buck White of The Whites is 94. Actor-singer John Davidson is 83. Actor Kathy Garver (“Family Affair”) is 79. Guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) is 76. Singer Ted Nugent is 76. Country singer-guitarist Randy Owen of Alabama is 75. Actor Wendie Malick (“Hot in Cleveland,” ″Just Shoot Me”) is 74. Country singer John Anderson is 70. Singer Steve Forbert is 70. Singer Morris Day of The Time is 68. Actor Steve Buscemi is 67. Actor Johnny Whitaker (“Family Affair”) is 65. Bassist John Munson of Semisonic is 62. Reality TV star NeNe Leakes (“The New Normal,” ″The Real Housewives of Atlanta”) is 58. Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx is 57. Actor Lusia Strus (“50 First Dates”) is 57. TV personality Debbie Matenopoulos is 50. Singer-guitarist Tom Delonge of Blink-182 (and Angels and Airwaves) is 49. Actor James Kyson Lee (“Heroes”) is 49. Actor Kimee Balmilero (“Hawaii Five-0″) is 45. Actor Chelsea Hertford (“Major Dad”) is 43. Singer Amy Lee of Evanescence is 43. Trumpeter Wesley Watkins of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats is 37. Actor Marcel Spears (“The Mayor”) is 36. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is 35. Actor Maisy Stella (“Nashville”) is 21.

Dec. 14: Singer-actor Abbe Lane is 93. Actor Hal Williams (“227,” ″Sanford and Son”) is 90. Singer Joyce Vincent-Wilson of Tony Orlando and Dawn is 78. Actor Dee Wallace (“E.T.”) is 76. Bassist Cliff Williams of AC/DC is 75. Actor T.K. Carter (“The Corner,” “Punky Brewster”) is 68. Singer-guitarist Mike Scott of The Waterboys is 66. Singer-whistle player Peter “Spider” Stacy of The Pogues is 66. Actor Cynthia Gibb (TV’s “Fame”) is 61. Actor Nancy Valen (“Baywatch”) is 59. Actor Archie Kao (“CSI,” “Chicago P.D.”) is 55. Actor Natascha McElhone (TV’s “Californication,” film’s “The Truman Show”) is 55. Actor Michaela Watkins (“Trophy Wife,” ″The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 53. Actor Miranda Hart (“Call the Midwife”) is 52. Singer Brian Dalyrimple of Soul for Real is 49. Actor KaDee Strickland (“Private Practice”) is 49. Actor Jackson Rathbone (“Twilight” movies) is 40. Actor Vanessa Hudgens is 36. Singer Tori Kelly is 32.

Singer Taylor Swift cheers during the second half of an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Tired of thinking about what gifts to get everyone this year? Artificial intelligence chatbots might help, but don't expect them to do all the work or always give you the right answers.

Anyone scouring the internet for Cyber Monday deals is likely going to encounter more conversational iterations of the chatbots that some retailers and e-commerce sites have built to provide shoppers with enhanced customer service.

Some companies have integrated models infused with newer generative AI technologies, allowing shoppers to seek advice by asking naturally phrased questions like “What's the best wireless speaker?”

Retailers hope consumers use these chatbots, which are typically called shopping assistants - as virtual companions that help them discover or compare products. Prior chatbots were mostly used for task-oriented functions such as helping customers track down online orders or return ones that didn't meet expectations.

Amazon, the king of online retail, has said its customers have been questioning Rufus - the generative AI- powered shopping assistant it launched this year - for information such as whether a specific coffee maker is easy to clean, or what recommendations it has for a lawn game for a child's birthday party.

And Rufus, which is available for holiday shoppers in the U.S. and some other countries, is not the only shopping assistant out there. A select number of Walmart shoppers will have access this year to a similar chatbot the nation's largest retailer is testing in a few product categories, including toys and electronics.

Perplexity AI added something new to the AI chat-shopping world last month by rolling out a feature on its AI-powered search engine that enables users to ask a question like “What's the best women's leather boots?" and then receive specific product results that the San Francisco-based company says are not sponsored.

“It has been adopted at pretty incredible scale,” Mike Mallazzo, an analyst and writer at retail research media company Future Commerce, said.

Retailers with websites and e-commerce companies started paying more attention to chatbots when use of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence text chatbot made by the company OpenAI, went mainstream in late 2022, sparking public and business interest in the generative AI technology that powers the tool.

Victoria’s Secret, IKEA, Instacart and the Canadian retailer Ssense are among other companies experimenting with chatbots, some of which use technology from OpenAI.

Even before the improved chatbots, online retailers were creating product recommendations based on a customer's prior purchases or search history. Amazon was at the forefront of having recommendations on its platform, so Rufus' ability to provide some is not particularly groundbreaking.

But Rajiv Mehta, the vice president of search and conversational shopping at Amazon, said the company is able to offer more helpful recommendations now by programming Rufus to ask clarifying or follow-up questions. Customers are also using Rufus to look for deals, some of which are personalized, Mehta said.

To be sure, chatbots are prone to hallucinations, so Rufus and most of the tools like it can get things wrong.

Juozas Kaziukenas, founder of e-commerce intelligence firm Marketplace Pulse, wrote in a November blog post that his firm tested Rufus by requesting gaming TV recommendations. The chatbot's response included products that were not TVs. When asked for the least expensive options, Rufus came back with suggestions that weren't the cheapest, Kaziukenas said.

An Associated Press reporter recently asked Rufus to give some gift recommendations for a brother. The chatbot quickly spit out a few ideas for “thoughtful gifts," ranging from a T-shirt and a keychain with charms to a bolder suggestion: a multifunctional knife engraved with the phrase “BEST BROTHER EVER.”

After a 5-minute written conversation, Rufus offered more tailored suggestions - a few Barcelona soccer jerseys sold by third-party sellers. But it wasn’t able to say which seller offered the lowest price. When asked during another search for a price comparison on a popular skin serum, Rufus showed the product's pre-discounted price instead of its present one.

“Rufus is constantly learning,” Amazon's Mehta said during an interview.

Shop AI, a chatbot that Canadian e-commerce company Shopify launched last year, can also help shoppers discover new products by asking its own questions, such as soliciting details about an intended gift recipient or features the buyer wants to avoid. Shop AI has trouble, however, recommending specific products or identifying the lowest-priced item in a product category.

The limitations show the technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go before it becomes as useful as the retail industry - and many shoppers - wish it could be.

To truly transform the shopping experience, shopping assistants will “need to be deeply personalized” and be able - on their own - to remember a customer’s order history, product preferences and purchasing habits, consulting giant McKinsey & Company said in an August report.

Amazon has noted that Rufus' answers are based on information contained in product listings, community Q&As and customer reviews, which would include the fake reviews that are used to boost or diminish sales for products on its marketplace.

The large language model that powers the chatbot was also trained on the company's entire catalog and some public information on the web, Trishul Chilimbi, an Amazon vice president who oversees AI research, wrote in the electrical engineering magazine IEEE Spectrum in October.

But its unclear how Amazon and other companies are weighting different training components - such as reviews - in their recommendations, or how exactly the shopping assistants come up with them, according to Nicole Greene, an analyst at management consulting firm Gartner.

Perplexity AI's new shopping feature allows users to enter search queries such as “best phone case" and to receive answers derived from various sources, including Amazon and other retailers, such as Best Buy. Perplexity also invited retailers to share data about their products and said those that do would have an increased chance of having their items recommended to shoppers.

But Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, suggested in a recent interview with Fortune magazine that he didn't know how the new shopping feature recommended products to customers. But in an interview with the AP, Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko pushed back on that characterization, saying Srinivas' comment “was probably taken out of context.”

The context, he said, is that with generative AI technology “You can’t know in advance exactly what the output will be just based off of knowing what the inputs” are from the training materials.

Shevelenko said retailers and brands need to know they can't have their products recommended in Perplexity's search engine because they're “jamming key words” into their websites or using different techniques to show up better on search results

“The way you show up in an answer is by having a better product and better features,” he said.

Amazon's generative AI-powered shopping assistant, known as Rufus, appears on a computer monitor in this photo taken on Dec. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)