Can Artificial Intelligence restore cave paintings?

A Mumbai-based firm, Sapio Analytics is working on creating high-end data-based algorithms powered by AI to restore obscured murals of Ajanta cave paintings.

AI may come at the rescue of famous Ajanta Cave paintings in Aurangabad which is also UNESCO world heritage site as a data management company based out Mumbai is working in tandem with historians and restorers  on the idea of integrating modern technology to preserve the heritage from the externanilites of the environment.

According to experts the digital restoration practically does not affect the authenticity of the artwork, the damaged part of a mural can be restored by altering the pixels of the damaged elements through mathematical algorithm  with the rest of the undamaged part of an  artwork.

The project engaged some of the eminent historians, photographers and artists like historian and photographer Benoy K. Behl who is credited to have digitally restored  the paintings of Badami caves in Karnataka. He is of the view that India has one of the finest traditions of painting and yet they are not well known because most are hidden in the dark recesses of temples and caves.Hence these artworks can be looked as the flash in the pan.

He had to invent the technique of photographing in extremely low light, akin to darkness, art critics and others said we had conquered darkness.

The company also joined hands with AWA along with other digital artefacts from around the world. The archive also has manuscripts from the Vatican library, political histories, masterpieces from different eras and parts of the world, and samples of scientific breakthroughs.

Having digitally restored 3rd century paintings of Pitalkhora Buddhist caves in Maharashtra and many other such restoration work in pipeline, Sapio Analytics is now in talks with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to showcase Behl’s original photographs, after they are digitally restored.