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Find a small lost item with AI and photos

Ten minutes of searching found nothing. A few close-up photos and ChatGPT spotted it. Here's the prompt to try next time you lose something small.

By Alan Brown · Works with ChatGPT

Video cover: ChatGPT found his lost earbud hidden in gravel
Watch on Instagram ↗
Jump to the prompt ↓

🔍 There's an earbud hidden in this photo. Can you spot it?

  • 🎧 A dad lost his white Bose earbud in a park full of white gravel, and spent about 10 minutes searching with no luck.
  • 📸 So he took a photo and asked ChatGPT for help. At first, it couldn't see it either, and asked for closer photos.
  • 🎯 After a few zoomed-in shots, it found the earbud and circled the spot. It was hidden between the rocks, all in under five minutes, he says.
  • 📰 The story, from his Reddit post: www.newsgram.com/science/2026/10/27/viral-chatgpt-locate-the-lost-earbud-reddit-story

Context & limitations

It won't find everything, and a wide shot rarely works. Next time you lose something small, take a few close-up photos and use the prompt below.

Do this yourself

I've lost a small ___ (earbud, ring, key, contact lens) somewhere in this area. It looks like ___ (colour, size, shape, shiny or matte). I'm going to send you photos. How to help me: 1. Start with my wide photo. Tell me how to split the area into sections, and how close and from what angle to take each close-up so you can see something that size. 2. Then check my close-ups one at a time. For each, say whether you see a likely match, and if so describe exactly where it is in the photo (for example "about a third from the left, just below the dark rock") and how confident you are. 3. If you don't see it, say so plainly and tell me what to try next: a different angle, better light, a torch at a low angle to catch shine, or moving to the next section. Don't guess just to give me an answer. If something could be the item or could be a stone or leaf, say it's uncertain and ask for a closer photo of that spot.

AI vision struggles with one wide shot but does much better with close, overlapping sections it can check one at a time. Gemini and Claude can read photos too.

Watch on InstagramSource

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