Can AI solve World Hunger?

Gain a deeper understanding of Artificial Intelligence, its diverse applications, and its impacts on media, music, education, etc. Although I read about all those topics, today I will focus on the use of AI in agriculture and food.

Strategy:

I have continued to follow two magazines focusing on new developments in AI:

• AI Magazine by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (https://aaai.org/ai-magazine/)

• Communications of the ACM—Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (https://cacm.acm.org/category/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/)

I have also followed these podcasts:

• Unfold: a podcast by UC Davis (https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/podcasts-and-shows/unfold/AI-in-agriculture)

• Mind Matters (https://mindmatters.ai/podcast/)

Current Reaction:

Compiling material for this post was much easier than the last one, as I had all the sources at my fingertips. I had the opportunity to dive deep into the topics I wanted to such as the use of LLMs in generating music and art and the legal and copyright aspects of this. Last time, I depended mostly on the Communications of the ACM magazine, but there have not been many updates since the last time, so I focused more on my other source, the AI magazine. Here, I found a fantastic niche in the use of AI, which is its use in food and agriculture. When I started reading about this, so many possibilities opened for the future, and I focused on this topic for the rest of my time.

I enjoyed the Mind Matters podcast quite a bit, however, I did not find much on there about agriculture, so I moved on to the Unfold podcast, where I found the perfect episode that satisfied my curiosity.

Sources:

• Communications of the ACM articles, “AIFARMS: Artificial intelligence for future agricultural resilience, management, and sustainability”, “The AIFS Institute: Building a better food system through AI”, “AIIRA: AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture”, “AgAID Institute—AI for agricultural labor and decision support”

• Unfold, Episode: “Harvesting Intelligence: AI’s Journey From Farm to Table”

Synopsis:

Although AI is revolutionizing art, writing, and coding, causing everyone to panic about their jobs, there are other fields that AI can bring change to which might actually be positive and improve the livelihoods of many people. Just this year alone, there has been so much research through institutes into AI in agriculture and food, including the building of new innovative models, showcased in the AI Magazine. These articles all explore how AI can revolutionize agriculture. There are always challenges like climate change, water limitations, and labor shortages. The AIFARMS Institute tackles sustainability and eco-friendliness through AI-powered farm robots and data analysis software. The AIFS institute takes a broader view, aiming to improve the entire food system from farm to table with a focus on ethical AI practices. Focusing on plant modeling and crop improvement, the AIIRA Institute emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity in AI education for agriculture. Finally, the AgAID institute concentrates on specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, addressing challenges like labor scarcity and water use through AI solutions.

The latest news is that the AI race continues, where a different tech giant challenges ChatGPT every fortnight. This article details how Elon Musk’s xAI has secured $6 billion in funding to challenge OpenAI in the AI space. Despite trailing behind top models like GPT4, Grok has outperformed others in benchmarks. Musk, a vocal critic of OpenAI’s proprietary direction, plans to use the funds to build advanced infrastructure and launch a new data center by fall 2025. The AI race remains costly and competitive, with major tech firms heavily investing in AI advancements.

Analysis:

This episode solidified my idea of writing this post about agriculture as it opened my eyes to the potential of AI in agriculture. Hosts Amy Quinton and Andy Fell start by mentioning UC Davis’s past innovations, like the mechanical tomato harvester from the 1950s, which revolutionized tomato farming. After that, I learned that today, AI helps plant breeders develop better crops faster by analyzing vast amounts of data to pick the best traits, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance. This makes it easier to grow crops that are nutritious and resilient.

As I was exposed to gardening since I was little, I was aware of the usual challenges of plants getting diseases, and the risks of using too many pesticides although too few pesticides result in a plant ruined by insects. I never knew the solution until this part of the podcast, when Assistant Professor Mason Earles talks about AI-powered robots and sensors that help farmers apply the right amounts of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, reducing waste and improving crop yields. For example, John Deere uses computer vision technology to identify weeds and spray them precisely, which helps protect crops and save resources.

As I am interested in the AI department of UF, it was also interesting to learn about the AI projects of UC Davis, another public university. Professor Chris Simmons explained how AI predicts and prevents issues like mold in tomato shipments, reducing waste. In nutrition, UC Davis Adjunct Professor Danielle Lemay is developing an AI app that analyzes food photos to provide detailed nutrition information, helping people make healthier food choices. In the end, this podcast gave me a lot of hope for the potential use of AI in the future to address the growing food insecurity around the world.

Insight:

During the research for this post, I learned how AI's potential goes beyond just enhancing creative fields like music and art. AI in agriculture can play a critical role in fixing global issues such as food security and world hunger. By optimizing crop breeding, improving precision farming, and streamlining food processing, AI can make the food system more efficient and sustainable. This application of AI is a profound opportunity to reduce hunger and malnutrition worldwide, showing that while AI in the arts captivates our imagination, its impact on agriculture could bring about life-changing benefits for millions of people.