With help from AI, Japanese students colorize Hiroshima photos taken before A-bomb

HIROSHIMA – With technology powered by artificial intelligence, high school students are colorizing black and white photos of Hiroshima taken before the atomic bombing of the city in 1945. The 14 students at Hiroshima Jogakuin high school launched the initiative last November, aiming to make the images more vibrant and to revive the memories of survivors so they can better pass on their experiences to the next generation. "We are the last generation who can talk to atomic bomb survivors. We want to treasure conversations generated through the photos and contribute to keeping records of their accounts," said Anju Niwata, 16. The students began the work after learning about AI-based free colorization technology from their collaborator, Hidenori Watanabe, a professor of information design at the graduate school of the University of Tokyo.