MIT STUDENT PRINTS AI POLYMER MASKS TO RESTORE PAINTINGS IN HOURS

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

MIT graduate student Alex Kachkine developed a technique that uses AI-generated polymer films to physically restore damaged paintings in hours. It works by printing a transparent 'mask' containing thousands of precisely color-matched regions that conservators apply directly to an original artwork. These masks can be removed whenever needed, so it's a reversible process. Using the technique creates a digital record of what mask was used, so future conservators will have an extremely clear understanding of what was done to every artwork.