These days the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), machines that can compile and analyse enormous amounts of data to create just about anything, is concerning for some and a boon to others.
AI has been the predicted next stage in the evolution of computers and technology and nowadays it is seemingly everywhere. The technology can be used for misinformation and to mislead but it can also be used to support human endeavour and creativity, as it is in the Indian carpet industry.
The ancient craft of carpet weaving in Jammu and Kashmir is world-renowned. It makes use of a process that includes talim, the written code for creating the intricate patterns and choice of colours in the finished article. You can read more about the process and history of these carpets on this webpage. In the past the process of making the carpets took months with specialists employed to read designs and create talim that was then passed onto the weavers. Each weaver made a small part of a carpet and those were eventually joined together to make the final piece. Mistakes can easily happen and it is not a simple matter to undo the error, and the process, because of the back-and-forth of the materials, instructions and woven pieces, was time-consuming.
The advent of computerised design meant that whole talim could be created more easily so that weavers could see the entire design instead of simply a small portion. Now AI is being used to help translate talim so that the whole process of making these treasured pieces can be streamlined and made quicker. People are still needed to write the code down but AI is helping to translate it by learning designs and their corresponding code. The hope is that it will help to keep the industry alive and well and encourage new designs and innovation in these carpets.
This article on the BBC explains a little more about the woven pieces and how AI is going to help the industry.