عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

SDAIA, EU Experts Discuss Future of AI Technologies in Visual Arts

The meeting was held at the headquarters of SDAIA - SPA
The meeting was held at the headquarters of SDAIA - SPA
TT
TT

SDAIA, EU Experts Discuss Future of AI Technologies in Visual Arts

The meeting was held at the headquarters of SDAIA - SPA
The meeting was held at the headquarters of SDAIA - SPA

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority "SDAIA" hosted a meeting between a number of artificial intelligence specialists in SDAIA and art experts at the National Institutes of Culture of the European Union.

During the meeting, they discussed the project of the future of visual arts in light of the renewed uses of AI technologies, in addition to reviewing the global “AI Artathon” initiative presented by SDAIA for creative artists in various fields of art from around the world, SPA reported.

 

The meeting, held at the headquarters of SDAIA, discussed the relationship between AI technologies and visual and audio arts in addition to aesthetic arts, and how these technologies can be utilized to serve and contribute to the creation of new forms of art that are no less creative than those produced by human senses in forming artistic images.

They also discussed the mechanism and the future of the AI Artathon initiative.

The European participants expressed their admiration for the AI Artathon initiative, which provided creators from various countries around the world with the opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities and create works of art using artificial intelligence and Artathon technologies.

This initiative is one of the cognitive initiatives of SDAIA that aligns with the Kingdom's cultural character.

It has been integrated with the artistic aspect to reflect artistic concepts that draw inspiration from various Saudi cultural fields, particularly in natural heritage, heritage and archaeological sites, social heritage, and visual arts.

The delegation of National Culture Institutes of the European Union included French experts who closely examined the rich experience of SDAIA in the AI Artathon.

The first edition of the AI Artathon was launched in 2021 with the participation of 60 countries and 300 experts in data science, AI, and artists who competed to create the best visual art using AI technologies.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
TT
TT

Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)

Tucked in a valley beneath the snow-capped Himalayas of the Indian Kashmir region is the town of Pampore, famed for its farms that grow the world's most expensive spice - the red-hued saffron.

This is where most of saffron is farmed in India, the world's second-largest producer behind Iran of the spice, which costs up to 325,000 rupees ($3,800) a kg (2.2 pounds) because it is so labor-intensive to harvest.

Come October, the crocus plants begin to bloom, covering the fields with bright purple flowers from which strands of fragrant red saffron are picked by hand, to be used in foods such as paella, and in fragrances and cloth dyes.

"I am proud to cultivate this crop," said Nisar Ahmad Malik, as he gathered flowers from his ancestral field.

But, while Malik has stuck to traditional farming, citing the "rich color, fragrance and aroma" of his produce through the years, some agrarian experts have been experimenting with indoor cultivation of the crop as global warming fears increase.

About 90% of India's saffron is produced in Kashmir, of which a majority is grown in Pampore, but the small town is under threat of rapid urbanization, according to the Indian Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

Experts say rising temperatures and erratic rainfall pose a risk to saffron production, which has dropped from 8 metric tons in the financial year 2010-11 to 2.6 metric tons in 2023-24, the federal government told parliament in February, adding that efforts were being made to boost production.

One such program is a project to help grow the plant indoors in a controlled environment in tubes containing moisture and vital nutrients, which Dr. Bashir Ilahi at state-run Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences said has shown good results.

"Growing saffron in a controlled environment demonstrates temperature resistance and significantly reduces the risk of crop failure," said Ilahi, standing in his laboratory between stacks of crates containing tubes of the purple flower.

Ilahi and other local experts have been helping farmers with demonstrations on how to grow the crocus plant indoors.

"It is an amazing innovation," said Abdul Majeed, president of Kashmir's Saffron Growers Association, some of whose members, including Majeed, have been cultivating the crop indoors for a few years.

Manzoor Ahmad Mir, a saffron grower, urged more state support.

"The government should promote indoor saffron cultivation on a much larger scale as climate change is affecting the entire world, and Kashmir is no exception," Mir said.