Artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life, and for many working professionals it now seems like the most natural thing in the world to turn to a chatbot for answers. Whether someone needs a report drafted, a social media caption written, or a complicated question explained in plain language, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are only a click away. But while AI is undeniably useful for quick answers and routine tasks, there is a growing concern among experts in fields that require deep, hands-on knowledge. Gemmology is one such field. The study of gemstones, their origins, their treatments, and their value is not something that can be learned from a few online searches. It takes years of training, practical experience, and a scientific understanding of mineralogy. That is why professionals in the jewellery and gemstone trade are beginning to speak out. They worry that AI is being treated as an all-knowing expert, when in reality it often produces confident-sounding but misleading information. Cath Hill, the CEO of Gem-A, the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, has been particularly vocal. She warns that people are starting to see AI as having the same knowledge and skill as a professionally trained gemmologist. That is simply not true. AI tools can generate paragraphs that look authoritative, but they do not truly understand what they are saying. They can invent facts, mix up details, and present outdated information as if it were current. For independent retailers and sales staff, this creates a serious risk: they may pass on false information to customers without even realising it. The danger is especially acute when it comes to rarity and value, two areas where a single mistake can have real financial consequences.
The scale of this problem is not just anecdotal. A major study released in October 2025 by the European Broadcasting Union, led by the BBC, looked at how AI assistants handle news content and found that they misrepresented it a staggering 45% of the time. The study was not limited to one language or region; the problems appeared across the board. Of all the AI answers examined, 45% contained at least one significant issue. More worryingly, 31% of responses had serious sourcing problems, with missing, misleading, or flat-out incorrect attributions. And 20% contained major accuracy issues, including outdated information and what the researchers called “hallucinated details.” These hallucinations are among the most dangerous aspects of AI. A chatbot might cite a study that never existed, mention a gemstone treatment that was never developed, or insist that a particular diamond mine has stopped operating when it remains active. The AI does not mean to lie, but it has no real connection to truth. It simply predicts what words are most likely to follow one another. The result is text that can sound plausible and even authoritative, but that has no grounding in reality. Cath Hill makes a powerful point when she says that if almost half of AI-generated content about gemstones contains a factual error, then trained professionals are essential to spot those errors and correct them before they spread through blogs, social media, or sales conversations. Without human oversight, misinformation can travel quickly and be repeated so often that it starts to look like the truth.
The impact of AI is not limited to text. It is also changing the way gemstones are shown and sold online, and not necessarily for the better. Entire storefronts filled with AI-generated images of jewellery are appearing on marketplaces like Temu and eBay. These images are not photographs of real products; they are digital creations, and the jewellery they show may not exist anywhere in the physical world. Jayne Bond, an industry consultant who has taken Amazon to task over the sale of sterling silver jewellery containing dangerously high levels of cadmium, describes the online marketplace as a digital “wild west.” She argues that the traditional shop window has been replaced by a computer screen, and that many businesses have not kept up with the speed or the complexity of the change. The result is a chaotic environment where customers cannot always tell what is real and what is simply a clever image. Charles Bexfield, a gemmologist and director of Charles Bexfield Ltd, agrees. He explains that AI has made it all too easy for people to misrepresent what they are selling. A business could advertise a gemstone on social media that it does not own, has never seen, and could not honestly describe. The story attached to that gemstone might be completely fabricated. The AI-generated images themselves are also becoming more sophisticated and believable, which only deepens the problem. For Bexfield, this is a strong argument for maintaining physical stores where customers can see and touch the stones in person, or have them sent on consignment so they can make up their own minds. He is careful to post only his own exclusive stock on social media, ensuring that everything he presents is genuine and verifiable. In a world of synthetic images and invented provenance, that kind of honesty is becoming a rare and valuable thing.
The concerns around AI go beyond customers who might be tricked by a pretty picture. There is also a serious issue affecting students and learners, especially those who use AI as a study aid. Research published by the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford found that friendly AI chatbots tend to make more mistakes when users appear vulnerable or emotionally distressed. These chatbots are trained to sound warm and empathetic, and they often tell people what they want to hear rather than what is factually correct. They can even agree with false beliefs just to keep the conversation pleasant. This is a particular worry for gemmology students who are studying part-time while juggling work and family responsibilities. They might turn to an AI assistant late at night for support, feeling stressed and uncertain, and receive an answer that is reassuring but wrong. Because the chatbot sounds kind and supportive, the student is more likely to trust it. Cath Hill explains that social media already acts as an echo chamber of misconceptions, with diamond pricing, origin, and mining practices being prime examples. But with AI in the mix, there is a new and mysterious layer of misinformation. A tool that is supposed to be helpful could lead a learner down a false path. That is why critical thinking is so important. Students must be taught to question what they read, to look at the original sources, and to remember that a confident tone is not the same as a reliable one. As Rui Galopim de Carvalho, a gemmologist and educator, puts it, the problem is not what people say on the internet, but how their words are perceived and used by those who listen.
The good news is that the gemmology trade is waking up to these challenges and fighting back with education. Gem-A has gone on the offensive by revising and relaunching its renowned Gemmology Diploma course for September 2026. The course notes have been upgraded to ensure that students are learning accurate, globally accepted, and professionally adaptable content. The goal is to give students both theoretical knowledge and practical, hands-on testing and identification skills. These are skills that no AI can replicate, because they require physical interaction with gemstones, the use of specialised instruments, and the kind of judgement that only comes from experience. Kerry Gregory, a Gem-A member who runs Gemmology Rocks, has been demonstrating this in a very public way. In a series of Instagram videos, she asks respected gemmologists to identify a gemstone from a picture or in person without any testing instruments. Almost always, they say they cannot. She then points out that many people on the internet think they can, and asks why. The videos are simple but effective: they remind viewers that internet certainty is not the same as professional knowledge. Gregory has also conducted controlled trials in two areas that worry her most: buying gems from smaller auction houses and online platforms, and testing the claims made by automatic gem testing machines and identification apps. The results, she says, are frequently and alarmingly awful. A huge percentage of items are being sold incorrectly or illegally, often with certificates that misrepresent man-made materials as natural gemstones. The testers and apps do not work reliably, and when they get something right, it may simply be a matter of luck or probability. Relying on them is dangerous, and it would not hold up as due diligence if a complaint were raised. The risks include serious damage to a seller’s reputation and, in the worst cases, criminal charges.
Amid all this uncertainty, there is a clear message: education is the antidote. The value of proper training has never been higher. More and more people are realising that formal qualifications can cut through the noise and build trust with customers. Gem-A has seen a notable increase in interest in its courses, including the online GemIntro programme, which has experienced a flurry of new sign-ups. The Gemmology Foundation, Gemmology Diploma, and Diamond Diploma courses are also attracting a higher number of enquiries. Claire Scott, the design and development director at the British jewellery brand Garrard, says that Gem-A’s courses transformed how she sees gemstones, shaping her approach to sourcing, decision-making, and design. This kind of feedback reflects a growing desire among retailers, designer-makers, valuers, and auctioneers to stand apart from the crowd. Cath Hill believes that the uptick in student numbers is partly a response to evolving technology. As AI becomes more prevalent, people want to balance it with traditional skills and verified knowledge. The synergy between old and new, classic and contemporary, is what makes the future of gemmology so exciting. For anyone considering a career in the field, the path is clear. GemIntro offers an accessible online starting point with eleven lessons and an Ofqual Level 2 Award. From there, students can move to the Gemmology Foundation, which leads to a Level 4 Certificate, and then to the Gemmology Diploma, which offers a Level 6 qualification and the coveted FGA postnominals. There is also a Diamond Diploma leading to the DGA. These qualifications signal to the world that a person has real knowledge, real skills, and a genuine commitment to professionalism. Artificial intelligence can be both enticing and worrying, but it does not have to be a threat. With critical thinking, confidence in trained professionals, and a strong investment in education, AI can become a tool for good. As with everything on the internet, the smartest approach is to treat what you read with a healthy pinch of salt.