4 min readNew DelhiFeb 20, 2026 10:20 PM IST
First published on: Feb 20, 2026 at 10:20 PM IST
Barani Kumar, a weaver from Kanchipuram, has been thronged by visitors trying to catch a glimpse of him through colourful threads running across the wooden frame as he weaves with precision.
Dressed in a bright yellow shirt, the 38-year-old is at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam. And his weaving is no ordinary weaving — he is being assisted by Artificial Intelligence.
Called TCS Intelligent Saree Platform, developed by the tech giant, AI has been integrated into the craft to assist both weavers and customers.
Mebin B Sankar, a representative at the booth, explained how it works. “Through this platform, customers can make a 3D model of the saree design using AI, which used to take months earlier. After the design is made, it is transferred and uploaded to assist the weaver.”
The loom too has seen an upgrade, now sporting an LED running along its length. This reflects the colour of the thread that needs to be used for the AI-generated design.
“Weaving has always been the second largest occupation in the world after agriculture. But sometimes, weavers make errors… These errors are costly for them and can lead to financial losses. The customer won’t like it if there is a mistake in the saree. So, after placing this LED light, they know exactly where to pause the design. This doesn’t change the tradition of weaving but just assists the art,” emphasised Sankar.
The Summit, which began on Monday, has attracted over 800 exhibitors of AI products and solutions, including national delegations, ministerial groups, tech companies, AI startups, and research labs. The solutions are not limited to voice assistance or robots but also experiment with everyday activities.
A few booths away, in a different aisle, visitors are curious to know how to style a wardrobe using AI. “How will AI know what colour I like? Does it cater to all skin tones?” asked some visitors at the “Your Intelligent Wardrobe” at the ‘JIO Creator’ section.
Ankita Kashyap, the exhibitor, had all the answers. “This is your physical closet going live via our app. All the things you have in your wardrobe needs to be uploaded on the app as a picture. It will then auto-capture the category, the colour, who it is for. You just simply need to add the name and then click the option — add it to my closet.”
To save time deciding on what to wear for any occasion, the app helps prepare a weekly closet. Demonstrating how it works, Kashyap added, “There is an AI stylist; you simply need to go and select the occasion and it will start giving recommendations based on my existing wardrobe. It shows what I will look like as I have uploaded my picture on it.”
AI to boost last-mile delivery was also on display at the Summit.
Ritukar Vijay, co-founder and CEO of OttonomyIO, said the company has made mobile robots which assist in last-mile connectivity with zero human intervention.
“We realised it is necessary for long-distance deliveries, and collaborated with companies… Now, here at the Summit, we have an entire multi-modal orchestration system where drones are dropping packages in a smart mail-box and robots are picking up and then delivering till the last mile. It is an end-to-end system. The robots have been deployed at hospitals in Indianapolis and also at the Hyderabad airport, while the barter company, Skyer, has been doing drone deliveries in Gurgaon already,” said Vijay.
The TCS Intelligent Saree Platform at the AI Summit; Barani Kumar, a weaver from Kanchipuram, operates the loom. (Express Photos/Praveen Khanna/Drishti Jain)
Share
