AI and jewellery research

How ChatGPT spins our view on jewellery

Published Jan 22, 2024

ChatGPT, it seems to be everywhere. But what does it know about ethnic jewellery? Is it of any use for jewellery research? I asked it a few things and this is what happened.

ChatGPT: what is it again?

In case you missed it, ChatGPT is a form of artificial intelligence (AI). It gets its information from online sources and processes information up until 2021. So basically, what is does, is it Googles faster than you and I ever could, and reshuffles what it found into an acceptable looking text – in just about as much time as it takes to read this paragraph.

Given the time it takes to do proper research (see 5 oldschool ways I use myself here), and the time it takes to write a blog post, I wanted to know what it would produce if I asked it to come up with text on ethnic jewellery. You don’t need a degree in psychology to see the underlying reason – it all boils down to every researcher’s concern: ‘Am I superfluous…?’

Putting ChatGPT to the jewellery test: an academic question

So, I started out big. I fearlessly asked it about the topic of my PhD-research: Egyptian zar-jewellery. That’s a major test of my steely nerves: what if a superbrain with access to everything published online smashes my thesis in seconds? I gave it a rather general prompt: ‘Can you tell me about Egyptian zar-jewellery in 100 words?’

It came back with this:

Egyptian zar jewelry is integral to the zar ritual, a traditional healing and spiritual practice. In this ceremony, participants seek to connect with spirits for various afflictions. The vibrant and intricate zar jewelry, made with silver, beads, and semi-precious stones, is worn during these rituals. Beyond its ritualistic role, the adornments have gained global recognition for their artistic and cultural value. Collectors appreciate the unique aesthetics, highlighting the enduring influence of Egyptian zar traditions on contemporary art and design.

Well, ok. That looks like a coherent answer. Looks like, but isn’t.

It starts off with actual zar, but them quickly turns into a rather general description. Especially in the second part, you could just leave out ‘zar’ and the text would be applicable to any and all jewellery. Also notice the abundance of adjectives: vibrant, intricate, global, unique, enduring…

One thing is clear: ChatpGPT, bless its bytes, has no idea what zar jewellery is. But it has been asked to produce 100 words on the topic, so it does. This is called hallucinating: if it does not find matching info online, it starts presenting text that looks good, but has no direct bearing on the topic (or may even be completely and utterly off the mark).

Putting ChatGPT to the jewellery test: headlines and titles

Content creators ask ChatGPT not necessarily to write their entire content, but use it for inspiration, too. And one thing for which inspiration comes in really handy, is creating titles. Had to try, of course! Here’s how that went.

Me: ‘I wrote a blog with tips on how to clean ethnic jewellery from the Middle East. Can you give me 5 engaging titles that will make my audience want to read the blog? Use maximum 10 words per title.’

ChatGPT:

1. “Unlock the Secrets: Cleaning Middle Eastern Treasures at Home!”
2. “Shine On: Revive Your Ethnic Jewelry’s Radiance with Easy Tips!”
3. “Timeless Brilliance: Discover Proven Hacks to Clean Middle East Jewelry!”
4. “Preserve History: How to Care for Your Exquisite Middle Eastern Gems!”
5.  “Sparkling Stories: Unveil the Magic of Cleaning Middle East Jewelry!”

I don’t know about you, but these are not titles I’d dare to serve you. They totally make me cringe. (if you think otherwise, I’d love to hear that, by the way!) It’s too much. All those exclamation marks, the cheesy wordplay, the secrets, the unveiling….It’s just not me.

The blog post in question, boringly called ‘How to clean ethnic silver’ until I come up with something else, is here. In case you simply must read it after seeing these captivating headlines.

ChatGPT: the importance of phrasing

Maybe my choice of words was not the best. So, I asked it for a blog post idea on vintage jewellery of North Africa and Southwest Asia (so no ethnic, no Middle East). It came back with ‘Hidden Gems: Unearthing Rare Vintage Jewelry Finds in Souks and Bazaars’.

Hm. Again, on the sensationalist side with a dash of Orientalism.

Out of curiosity (did I mention ChatGPT is quite fascinating, and it may even get a little addictive?) I asked it for an outline of this blog idea: what would it suggest I’d be writing about?

Here, I was positively surprised. Yes, it did come up with Orientalist content again, such as ‘an overview of the enchanting souks and bazaars’, followed by ‘the fascination of souk and bazaar shopping’ and ‘stories of hidden treasures’.

But the next building block was ‘promoting ethical sourcing and fair trade practices’ and ‘encouraging collectors to contribute to the documentation of cultural stories behind each piece’.

High five to the screen! Have you been listening to me, ChatGPT?? Are you hearing me? Because if you have been following this blog for a while, you know that the future of jewellery concerns me just as much as its past, and it’s nice to see that acknowledged. Even if it’s by a superchatbot.

ChatGPT on jewellery content suggestions

Encouraged, I asked it to come up with more blog post ideas or content suggestions. Let’s see what ChatGPT feels I should be serving you next!

Me: ‘Can you give me 5 blog post ideas that collectors of ethnic jewellery from the Middle East will find interesting?’

ChatGPT:

• The Allure of Middle Eastern Jewelry – Uh, what does that even mean?
• Unveiling the Symbolism: Meanings Behind Middle Eastern Jewelry Designs – Got that. It’s all here.
• The Essence of Identity: Unveiling the Significance of Ethnic Jewelry – Also got that. It’s all here. And a bit here.
• Beyond the Veil: Craftsmanship and Cultural Heritage – What should this be? On silversmithing and craftsmanship, I think?
• Collector’s Corner: Tips for Building a Middle Eastern Jewelry Collection – Great, got that, too. It’s literally presented here.

So, three of the five ideas are already present on this very blog. The other two are a bit vague in their description.

That is because these suggestions are super general: again, replace ‘Middle Eastern Jewelry’ by ‘English Mourning Jewellery’, ‘Scandinavian Woodcarving’ or ‘Wedding Cake’ and the post ideas would still be grammatically correct. Anyone with knowledge of woodcarving or wedding cakes could probably come up with content for these suggestions.

But, a bigger issue jumps from these lines. In three of the five suggestions, it comes up with veiling and unveiling. The 4^th suggestion does not even mention jewellery, but associates ‘Middle East’ with ‘veil’. And that brings me to some considerations about content produced using ChatGPT.

ChatGPT reflects our world

As I said above, ChatGPT is an AI which uses online resources. It does not create new content: it reshuffles existing information. It literally parrots our world back to us. And it does so in grammatically correct, good-looking lines. The text it produces looks convincing, but upon closer inspection is often quite general. That is smart for sure, but I would not call it intelligent.

It also repeats existing prejudices. Ask a question about the Middle East? You get Orientalist results, with veiling and secrets and fascinating bazaars and more. Apparently, this is what is out there when it comes to information on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia.

Now the thing is that in recent years, awareness of our choice of words has increased. And where many human authors actively try to stay away from lines that are exoticizing or framing, ChatGPT does the opposite. It is lagging behind: it bases itself on data up until 2021, and as such will always reflect a world view of a couple of years ago.

And the more it is used to produce content, the longer that world view will linger. Combined with good looking, but essentially hollow phrasing, ChatGPT spins our view on jewellery right back into Orientalist mysteries.

Using ChatGPT for jewellery research: are we superfluous?

So, can we use ChatGPT for research into jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia? Am I superfluous? As a marketeer, maybe – those headlines are something else.

But as a researcher, I feel our work may be needed even more. ChatGPT is absolutely a very useful tool, but it is just that: a tool. I find it to be helpful in suggesting topics or angles, but it misses a crucial point.

Studying jewellery takes not just gathering and presenting a bunch of facts, but interpreting them. And that interpretation, in turn, definitely needs a human touch. It needs awareness, dialogue and cultural sensitivity. It needs transparency, acknowledging viewpoints of others, and correcting mistakes.

Research is not interpreting in isolation, but listening, learning and sharing together.

So for the foreseeable future, I’ll be typing away oldschool. But keeping an eye on AI developments, because who knows what the future may still bring…!

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Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].