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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a trending buzzword for some time. It’s a term commonly used for machines, computer-controlled robots, and software systems performing intelligent tasks such as learning, planning, reasoning, and interacting – simulating the natural intelligence displayed by humans and animals. While the entire world is obsessing over artificial intelligence (AI) avatars of themselves, an artist from a remote village in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province is making headlines for using cutting-edge technology to visualize the life of people in the lost civilization of Mohenjo Daro.
Rehmatullah Mirbahar, a computer operator at the Thatta district health department who used websites and YouTube tutorials to teach himself how to create art using AI tools, was surprised to witness his art and images of Mohenjo Daro receiving such an overwhelmingly positive response.
According to Mirbahar, artificial intelligence was an ideal choice for the project because it could produce results based on available online data about a place or its people, and where it didn’t match reality, a human mind could intervene.
“Whatever came to my mind about Mohenjo Daro, I reimagined [all of that] through AI. It gives fifty or sixty percent results based on the data it has and [therefore] it needs modification … [We have to look] at how the faces of people appear, we have to fix their faces, have to change their colors, and the rest of the modifications are done with the help of AI. Many people there should be a river that flowed here,’ ‘there should be greenery there,’ so, in the future, I will update this to Mohenjo Daro version two. I will fix the mistakes being pointed out in this version,” Mirbahar said.
Spending three months learning AI, the 34-year-old was inspired to visualize the ancient city of Mohenjo Daro and its people. From photography in the ruins of the lost city, and his own knowledge learn about the area’s historical architecture, culture, and religion.
Speaking to Arab News, Mirbahar told, “When I first created these images, I did not upload them because I didn’t think people would like them. But then I decided to upload them and I can’t believe how they got viral. The response had been great. There have been calls from Germany, calls from the United States, I got calls from India as well,” while sitting at his computer in a small room at his office building in Makli.
The global AI software industry is growing rapidly. Statista reports that it is expected to reach $126 billion by 2025. It is considered an engine of economic growth and the next big disruptor.
Many countries have developed dedicated AI frameworks and policies to facilitate education programs and research and development (R&D) centers to forward technological advancements and economic growth.
Examples include China’s “Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan,” the US executive order on “AI leadership,” and “AI Made in Germany”, to name only a few. Pakistan must follow suit and invest in programs to promote youths’ enthusiasm for AI and modern technologies. This means investing in education programs, research centers, and industry readiness training programs.
After all, Pakistan has great potential in AI, with its scope ranging from solving local problems in agriculture, governance, climate change, and manufacturing, to creating tech unicorns and services companies specializing in hi-tech/ AI software exports.
In fact, a few research labs, companies, and startups are already making strides in the AI space and contributing to the global tech ecosystem. For example, a group of professors at Information Technology University (ITU) Lahore are solving impactful problems and publishing their research at top-tier AI conferences.
Mirbahar giggled as he remembered how his family scolded him nearly two decades ago for buying a computer, something they believed was a waste of money. “My family scolded me a lot [saying] what are you doing, you have done wasteful spending,” he said.
“But whatever I am today is because of this computer, and my family members are also happy,” the artist added.
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