The Met & OpenAI Summon 1930s Socialite As A Living, Breathing Chatbot
Image via The Metropolitan Musem of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in collaboration with OpenAI, has breathed new life into the persona of a 1930s socialite, Natalie Potter. Not so much a séance, it’s rather the centerpiece of the institution’s annual Costume Institute exhibition, entitled Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.
Sleeping Beauties focuses on garments now considered extremely fragile and no longer wearable, inviting visitors into a fashion time capsule of sorts filled with over 200 pieces spanning 400 years.
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The showcase’s grand finale is a wedding dress designed by Callot Soeurs, worn by New York socialite Natalie Potter on her wedding day on December 4, 1930.
the natalie potter mermaid weeding dress from 1930 featured inside the MET’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibition pic.twitter.com/Iyc0Dlx1x3
— ⦠(@theitcouture) May 7, 2024
The piece itself is a stunning example of French couture, crafted by the renowned house of Soeurs. With a dramatic, cathedral-length train, it embodies the sleek, minimalist aesthetic that defined 1930s fashion. The scalloped edging along the train, created on the bias (cutting the fabric diagonally), is a hallmark of the design house. This technique creates a beautiful, rippling effect, reminiscent of water in a Japanese landscape painting, reflecting Soeurs’ well-documented fascination with Asian art and design motifs.
To that end, the Met and OpenAI have created a custom variant of ChatGPT modeled after Potter’s personality. This AI bot can answer questions about Potter’s wedding, her life, and her dress—all through the lens of Potter herself. Guests simply scan a QR code to engage in a text-based conversation with the “ghost” of Natalie Potter.
The AI company trained Potter’s AI counterpart using letters she wrote, newspaper clippings, and papers from the era, enabling visitors to connect with the dress and its history on a more personal level.
This is the Met’s first foray into AI-aided exhibits, with museum director Max Hollein envisioning it as a pilot program.
[via Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, images via various sources]
