You wouldn’t think that AI would have anything to do with Kashmir’s traditional handwoven carpets and rugs. But it seems that even this time-honored and respected craft may be embracing technology.
The process of making a Kashmir rug involves what is called talim, the code used to design carpets and send information to weavers. The code tells weavers where to knot each thread and which colors to use.
The traditional process is time consuming, taking more than six months to complete a carpet. And mistakes are difficult to spot.
AI to the rescue. Well, really AI engineers to the rescue. AI experts at International Virtual Assistance have been training an artificial intelligence system to understand the talim code by showing it pictures of carpets and lines of talim code. Computer software handles the design and creation of the talim code. Any potential problems can be spotted in advance, cutting down on time-consuming errors.
Of course the weaving and knotting is still done by hand. But production time has been reduced from more than 6 months to about 6 weeks. And potential problems can be spotted in advance, thus avoiding time-consuming errors.
The Kashmir rug makers are giving AI some of the credit for the revival of handmade Kashmir rugs. Who knows how many more industries may be rejuvenated by AI.