Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere today, and especially in the textiles and apparel industry. Most of the focus there, though, seems to be on the design aspect—how can AI help designers be more efficient and the consumer have a better experience seeking items they want to purchase? In this article, we speak with Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology and The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University. Dr. Ramkumar is taking a different approach to AI in textiles, which he has exclusively shared with WhatTheyThink.

WhatTheyThink:  Dr. Ramkumar, you recently penned an extensive article for the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) entitled “AI’s promise for the textiles industry: Policy makers, manufacturers and end-user communities need to be engaged.”

You say, for example, “According to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce’s AI Commission Report, AI will enable economic growth by about $13 trillion by the end of this decade. As it was during the Cold War era when defense technologies were considered a nation’s main strength, in the near future, knowledge-related fields such as AI will take on this role, as well as serving as an indicator of economic strength.” And you note that while AI is coming into use in textiles, most of its utilization has been in design and fast fashion.