AI assists traditional carpet weaving

Traditional carpet weavers in Kashmir, India use a code system to produce carpets with intricate traditional Talim designs.

This process starts with a drawing of the carpet pattern, which a Talim expert translates into a code that is written on long horizontal strips. The carpet weaver then uses these strips to guide their work on small sections of carpet. To make a whole carpet requires hundreds of these code segments to be used.

The problem with this method is that it is easy to make small mistakes, which are difficult to spot until the error is seen in a completed section of the carpet. Rectifying these mistakes is very time consuming. Artificial intelligence (AI) software is now used to create the Talim code, which checks and eliminates errors. The carpets are still made by hand, but are much quicker to produce thanks to the AI system taking care of the coding process.

Mehmood Shah, the Kashmir director of Handloom & Handicrafts, commented,

"This innovation in handmade carpets is not to disrupt the essence of artistic carpets, it's just to speed up the process - designs being available now at a speed.”

Carpets at a local carpet retailer in North Wales may be influenced by traditional hand-woven designs, but are often made on machines. Computer systems help the carpet manufacturing process, but AI does not have a major role. Humans design carpets, but it is possible in the future that artificial intelligence and robots will take over both the design and manufacture of carpets.