AI Photo Colorization Brings “Memories” of Prewar Okinawa
Scene from a Naha City marketplace. Artificial Intelligence (AI) colorization of the photo is augmented by information from local records and memories. (reproduction/redistribution of photo without permission is prohibited)
Monochrome (black and white) photos of Okinawa from 1935, ten years before the island was ravaged by the fires of war, are being colorized by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Asahi Shimbun and Okinawa Times, in cooperation with Tokyo Metropolitan University professor Hidenori Watanabe, are working to bring the memories of Okinawans back to life. Using the latest technology and the testimony of local residents, we are being given a glimpse into Okinawan daily life 82 years ago. (Satoko Yonaha)