A team of lecturers and students from the Faculty of Computer Science (FILKOM), Faculty of Cultural Studies (FCS) and representatives from market players and entrepreneurs in Malang City held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) discussing the Application of Generative AI for Batik Design at Swiss Bellinn Malang, Friday (11/10/2024).
FILKOM UB represented by Dr. Eng. Novanto Yudistira, S. Kom., M. Sc., as the head researcher with members Dr. Candra Dewi, S.Kom., M. Sc., and Dr. Eng. Irawati Nurmala Sari, S. Kom., M. Sc. FCS represented by Dyaningrum Pradhikta, S. Sn., M. Ds., and Fatmawati, S. Sn., M. Ds. Meanwhile, from the representatives of entrepreneurs, Anjani Sekar Arum, Founder of Anjani Batik Gallery and M. Dedi Rudianto, Founder of Maxchat and Wa Grab were present. Representatives from FILKOM students were Rahmatullah Dffa Izzudin Wahid, Muh. Zaqi Ikhwanul Kiram, Belgis Berliana Putri and Muhammad Rifqi Fauzi. Representatives from FCS students were Kayla Rachma Novalia and Alda Fuadiyah.
In his opening remarks, Novanto said that since 2022, together with his team, he has conducted generative AI research for batik design and has succeeded in collecting tens of thousands of data related to new motifs. In its development, the tendency is that batik motifs are indeed a mixture of existing ones, the results of this generation are simply translated into the desired forms according to the prompt.
“The purpose of this FGD is to hold discussions with entrepreneurs or market players, what is the potential in the future. Are there any business processes that have the potential to be applied to customers, because one of the outputs of this research, besides publication, UB also wants cooperation with external industries,” explained Novanto.
In the first presentation, Anjani said that if you want to survive with your business and not be left behind in the competition, then being literate with technology is a must. Because if he ignores and does not adapt to the emergence of technology such as AI, his business could go bankrupt.
“In a year, our turnover has dropped by 80%, even though every month we still have employees, and every month the operations are also large, but there is no income. We have to think hard about what steps we can take so that we survive. We support this FGD, because this is the right step for us to be able to have discussions with universities,” said Anjani.
Anjani added that currently many Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are protesting the creation of a batik writing machine because this machine can make batik writing without using a canting. The characteristic of hand-drawn batik is in its canting, if you want the best quality, the canting process can be done up to three times. With this hand-drawn batik machine, MSMEs will experience a difficult business turnover process.
In the second presentation, Dedi said that the batik industry in 2022 showed several important achievements. The export value of Indonesian batik reached USD 25.31 million or around IDR 392.74 billion, with an export volume reaching 987.71 thousand kilograms. Preserving batik through MSMEs is also a strategic step to maintain and develop Indonesia’s cultural heritage, although the onslaught of fashion from China to Indonesia must be considered, because in recent years, clothing and textile products from China have flooded the Indonesian market, often at prices much lower than local products. This has caused many local producers, both micro and large scale, to lose market share. (rr/UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
