AI on the Agenda

Do you also have a love-hate relationship with ChatGPT? Oh! My! Gosh! It drives me bananas. To be clear, I use the AI program for many things, but its main function in my world is as my editor. I write, it edits, I edit its edit, paragraph by paragraph, until I’m certain I’ve maintained my Avi-ness and don’t come across like a trained monkey. Admittedly, I don't always succeed.

But the back and forth is exhausting, as are the endless suggestions of where to go next. I know exactly what I want to say, thank you very much.

And even though I rarely follow its misdirected rabbit holes, I still end up justifying myself — explaining exactly why “I want the last line understated rather than landing with a heavy punch.”

It feels like that classic scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where a geeky golden-ticket seeker declares “we’re about to witness the greatest miracle of the machine age,” as “this machine will tell us the precise location of the three remaining golden tickets.” Needless to say the scene ends with the computer wiz smirking that he's “now telling the computer exactly what it can do with a lifetime supply of chocolate!” (And if you don’t know the reference, do yourself a favor and watch the movie’s funniest scene).

Here’s an actual interaction I had with ChatGPT while preparing this week’s memo:

Me: “You don’t have to change every [expletive] adjective I use, it’s late and I want to keep some semblance of me in my writing! You should [expletive] know this by now.”

And the most infuriating bit is its annoying agreeability. “You're right, Avi,” “Great catch,” “I'll be sure to do it that way from now on.” How about, I'm pretty sure we spoke about this before, and you will if you want to keep your job!

So excuse the rant, but there’s a point. I know I don’t use AI correctly, and understanding how it can best serve me might just be the smartest investment I can make.

Which is why I’m excited about the third session of the Business of Jewelry Roundtable. The theme sums up the dilemma perfectly: ‘AI as a Strategic Partner.’

Are we in the diamond and jewelry industry using AI as just another tool, or as a true strategic asset that can unlock our business potential? And if it’s the latter, how — and in which parts of the trade? Because we really do have in front of us the greatest miracle of the machine age.

There’s still time to apply for membership of the Roundtable and join the discussion — see the banner below.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead. Oh, and PS: this section was edited by ChatGPT. Or, at least, much of it was...

This blog first appeared in the September 26 Pressing Matters Executive Memo. Read the full memo here, Pressing Matters, featuring the following sections:

• Deep Dive: Deep Dive: De Beers and Industry Expectations

• What I'm Watching: Jared Jewelers Documentary

• industry Voices

• The News That Matters

• Article I'm Trying to Understand

• The Week Ahead

• Pic of the Week: The Vanderbilt Sapphire 

Image: Graphic depiction of AI. (Canva)