India’s traditional carpet weaving industry embraces AI technology

Mohammad Rafiq Sofi, a carpet weaver from Kashmir, has been using an ancient symbolic code called talim to design carpets for over 50 years. In the past, it could take more than six months to complete a carpet as the design would be encoded into small sections and sent off for weaving. However, with the use of computer software, Sofi can now finish a carpet in six weeks. The software handles the design and creation of the talim code, allowing Sofi to see the whole design at once and spot any potential problems in advance. Technology firms are now applying artificial intelligence to the process, training AI systems to understand the talim code and speed up manufacturing. This innovation is necessary as the tastes of customers are evolving and there is an increasing demand for fashionable, long-lasting, and low-maintenance carpets. The Indian rug and carpet industry is facing competition from rivals in Turkey and China and needs to keep up with the latest manufacturing techniques. Despite the advancements, traditional handmade manufacturing is still valued in the industry. An official tagging system has also been introduced to identify genuine hand-knotted Kashmiri carpets, helping to protect the industry and its workers.