AI Revolutionizes India's Time-Honored Carpet Weaving Industry

Kashmir's traditional handwoven carpets and rugs contain an ancient symbolic code known as talim, which has been used for centuries to design carpets and convey information to weavers. Mohammad Rafiq Sofi, who has been weaving carpets since the age of eight, learned how to weave using talim designs over a five-year period. In the early days, it could take more than six months to complete a carpet, with designers drawing up the carpet and a talim expert encoding the design for weaving. However, computer software has now streamlined the process, allowing weavers like Mr. Sofi to finish a carpet in six weeks. The software handles the design and creation of the talim code, enabling weavers to see the whole design at once and spot any potential issues in advance. This innovation aims to speed up the manufacturing process without disrupting the artistic essence of the carpets. Technology firms are also incorporating artificial intelligence into the process, training AI systems to understand the talim code by showing them pictures of carpets and lines of talim code. The AI will decode the talim instructions, allowing weavers to try out new patterns and produce custom carpets. As customer tastes evolve, there is a growing demand for fashionable, long-lasting, and low-maintenance carpets that traditional techniques may not be able to meet. The Indian rug and carpet industry faces competition from rivals in Turkey and China and needs to keep up with the latest manufacturing techniques. However, innovation should be balanced with the preservation of traditional, handmade methods. The industry has been supported by an official tagging system that verifies genuine hand-knotted Kashmiri carpets through QR codes, ensuring the survival of this important industry that employs around 50,000 workers in Jammu and Kashmir and contributes $28 million a year. The developments in carpet making have given hope to longtime weavers like Feroz Ahmad Bhat, who have witnessed the industry flourish with the introduction of new designs.