Artificial intelligence could have a hand in the making of your next Banarasi silk saree. An AI enabled weaving loom solution developed by Tata Consultancy Services not only helps customers design and customise their sarees, but also enables more accurate and faster weaving.
Precision in Every Thread
On display at the Tata Group pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit exhibition floor, the loom incorporates a string of LED lights which help the weavers weave the customised design. If a wrong thread is used, the LED lights change to indicate the error, leading to fewer defects in weaving.
The solution was developed by TCS, as part of a larger group level initiative, and is now deployed in partnership with state governments to help weaver artisans deliver customised sarees in multiple states.
An executive at the booth also highlighted that the solution has helped retailers move inventory faster since the products being made are specified by the customers. Earlier, the executive explained, some retailers had as much as 40% inventory go unsold on account of the design not being popular, or minor weaving defects in the final product.
TechMahindra’s initiative around education extends AI application to augmented learning opportunities. Build on Project Indus, the IT firm’s Hindi first LLM, the educational model provides learnings assistance through interactive courses. To starts with, it has been trained on physics lessons from grade 6 to 12 and can be used to assist teachers in semi-rural and rural areas.
The entire learning module is available in multiple dialects, facilitating learning in local languages.
The model will be distributed through partnerships with hardware manufactures that can pre-install the model on select SKUs. TechM will also tap into partnerships with public educational institutions to make the model available at places where the student to teacher ratio is high.
Beyond learning, Indian language applications of AI in the form of conversational AI are helping streamline tasks through voice instructions. CoRover.ai’s AskDISHA platform allows consumers to transact on IRCTC using voice instructions. Users can book tickets, check PNR statuses, and even make payments through voice. The service is available in 14 languages so far, and according to CoRover, is seeing significant success among user groups like the elderly.
CoRover.ai is also expanding its AI-powered conversational platform for public grievance management and e-governance to Maharashtra in addition to Jammu and Kashmir where it is currently live. It acts as a 24/7 virtual assistant, allowing citizens to interact with government departments via WhatsApp and web interfaces to submit, track, and resolve complaints.
Education, Governance, and Security
Another application of AI with impact on consumer lives on display was Bharti Airtel’s spam filter to weed out spam messages and calls. The telco has introduced an AI system that detects spam calls, scam messages and suspicious activity in real time. It also warns users if a banking OTP arrives during a suspicious call, helping them pause and verify before sharing sensitive information.
Since September 2024, the system has flagged billions of spam calls and messages, blocked malicious links and stopped millions of fraud attempts daily. The prevalence of spam and scam over communication platforms has been on the rise, and other telcos are also deploying AI-based solution to tackle the scale of intrusions to improve customer experience on their networks.