Since AlphaGo and Lee Sedol, artificial intelligence has played an important role in many industries. In agriculture, it’s revolutionizing pest diagnostics, weed management, smart greenhouse management, and more. These technologies are not only making farming more efficient and productive, but they are also helping to protect the environment and reduce labor, opening up new possibilities for sustainable agriculture.
As long ago as March 2016, interest in the possibilities and power of artificial intelligence exploded around the world when AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence (AI) program, won a Go match against Lee Sedol with a score of 4 wins to 1 loss. This sparked discussions about the role of artificial intelligence, which could extend beyond mere computational capabilities or performing specific tasks to areas that require unique human judgment or intuition. Experts and futurists have since begun to predict the changes that AI will bring to various industries in the future, and many have expressed both caution and excitement about the potential for AI to replace many jobs.
Agriculture and AI: the beginning of change
Agriculture is one area where the potential impact of AI is particularly significant. Traditionally, agriculture has long been dominated by human labor, and even after mechanization, it has remained sensitive to weather and environmental changes. However, if AI is introduced to agriculture in earnest, it is expected that problems that have been difficult to solve by humans can be handled more efficiently. For example, AI can monitor the health of crops in real time to predict when pests will occur, or calculate the right amount of fertilizer and water to apply. This has great potential to help increase agricultural productivity and minimize environmental impact.
Specific use cases and expected benefits of AI
Managing pests in crops is a big challenge for farmers. When a pest outbreak occurs, it is essential to respond quickly, but it takes time to determine exactly which pest is present. Recently, an artificial intelligence system based on deep learning has been developed that has been trained on images of pest symptoms to quickly and accurately diagnose the type of pest. This plays an important role in quickly diagnosing pest-affected crops and immediately implementing necessary measures. With these systems, farmers can address pests in time to reduce damage and maintain yields.
Another important challenge in agriculture is weed management. Farmers traditionally spray pesticides or remove them manually, which not only requires a lot of labor but also puts a strain on the environment. However, robots equipped with artificial intelligence have the precision to selectively remove weeds, helping to reduce unnecessary pesticide use and increase the sustainability of agriculture. In fact, Blue River Technology has developed an AI robot that targets and removes only specific weeds, thus achieving the dual goals of reducing labor and protecting the environment.
Smart farming systems reduce climate and environmental impacts
Agriculture is heavily influenced by climate and weather, so losses due to environmental changes are common. For example, heavy rains that cause flooding or droughts that cause crops to burn out can have a significant impact on production. To address this, artificial intelligence is being utilized to build systems that monitor the climate and environment in real time through sensors and big data analytics, and automatically suggest or perform necessary actions. For example, in greenhouse cultivation systems, AI is being developed to set the optimal temperature, humidity, and lighting conditions to maintain the best environment for crops to grow. One company in Japan has had success growing cabbages using this smart farming system, which has helped them maintain consistent crop quality and increase production.
Replacing labor and increasing productivity with AI
The labor shortage in agriculture is a global problem. Especially in rural areas, where the aging workforce is aging and younger labor is scarce, artificial intelligence is gaining traction as a way to address the labor shortage. For example, Makoto Koike, a computer systems developer in Japan, created a system that uses deep learning to automatically grade cucumbers, which significantly reduces labor time while ensuring accurate quality control. Automated sorting systems like this one are helping to reduce labor by reducing repetitive tasks, making agriculture more productive and efficient.
Conclusion: A new future for agriculture with artificial intelligence
In conclusion, the adoption of AI in agriculture is expected to bring about a number of positive changes. AI can play an important role in taking over tasks that are difficult for humans to perform, reducing environmental damage to agriculture, and addressing labor shortages. Of course, these technologies are not yet fully developed, and currently only have a 95% accuracy rate for identifying pests and a limited number of different types of pests that can be distinguished. However, as the technology improves and these limitations are addressed, AI could revolutionize agriculture. In particular, as smart agriculture utilizing advanced technologies gradually expands, agriculture is likely to become more than just a primary industry, but a future industry.
The future of agriculture will be based on artificial intelligence to make it more efficient and sustainable, which will ultimately contribute to solving food problems and protecting the environment.
