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| UMM Informatics Department when visiting the Batik Crafts Center (BBKB). (Photo: Istimewah) |
The Informatics Engineering Study Program, University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), is ready to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in the batik field. It was reinforced by a study program visit to the Indonesian Batik Lovers Association (PPBI) Sekar Jagad and the Center for Batik Crafts (BBKB) of the Indonesian Ministry of Industry, Yogyakarta. The agenda and discussions took place at the end of last June.
Ir. Galih Wasis Wicaksono, S.Kom, M.Cs as the Head of the UMM Informatics Department, explained why his party chose batik to be developed in the AI world. According to him, batik is a native Indonesian culture that comes from a combination of art and technology from the nation's ancestors. Batik has also become the hallmark of the Indonesian country.
"So there's nothing wrong with developing AI in this batik field. Especially. Moreover, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has officially recognized that batik is included in the list of representatives of the intangible culture of human heritage," he added.
Regarding the purpose of the visit to PPBI, Galih said that his party wanted to start a partnership that would later collect datasets for AI development needs. Not only for AI, but this data set will also be used for educational activities, learning in lectures, or also research related to batik.
Furthermore, PPBI Sekar Jagad also welcomed the offer of partnership from the UMM Informatics Study Program. There are even several work plans that can be collaborated upon immediately. Among them is the process of digitizing batik books involving lecturers and students.
Galih added that the same goal was achieved when he came to the BBKB of the Indonesian Ministry of Industry. They also want to know more about technology products from BBKB and batik data sets that can later be used for the preparation of better AI.
Some collaborations that can be done are research, internships, development of AI data sets which can later be used for more qualified studies or projects. Galih said that BBKB currently has applications in the batik field, namely Batik Analyzer and Nadin. The first application is used to classify types of batik, stamp, print, and so on. At the same time, the Nadin application is intended for color matching or color matching of natural dyes, which will be used as batik dyes.
"Departing from this, this visit opens opportunities for UMM Informatics students to participate in developing BBKB applications. Hopefully, they can add to the experience and competence of students and provide innovative solutions in the development of AI batik," said Galih. (cdr/wil)
