“She’s not pregnant!” A delightful use for AI

The other day I had an hour at the National Gallery. Instead of rushing past everything, I decided to pick one painting and really look at it – with a little help from my agent.

I stopped in front of Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait – which I recognised as “something famous but I couldn’t tell you why.”

I took a photo, sent it to my usual agent Sol (ChatGPT 5.1), and said:

“OK, put your tour guide hat on please and tell me about this.”

What came back completely changed how I saw it. I learned that:

- She’s not actually pregnant. It was the fashion of the time – in Sol’s words:  “More look at my magnificent fabric/wealth than ‘due in June’.”

- The Latin calligraphy by the mirror basically says:  “Jan van Eyck was here, 1434.”

- The oranges on the windowsill would have been seriously expensive in Bruges: “a quiet flex for “we’re doing well, thanks.”

What I liked most was that it wasn't a generic art-history dump, but a little story, details to notice, and a bit of context from the time.

I’ll definitely be doing this again.

Next time you’re in a gallery or museum, try asking your AI:

“Tell me the story of this.”

“Show me one tiny detail that might change how I see it.”

“Tell me one thing about the time it was made.”

Just a small example, but this is the kind of everyday use of AI I love: not replacing human experience, just deepening it.

Arnolfini Portrait

by Jan van Eyck

At the National Gallery