Sashwath Kidambi

Within the next decade, do the benefits of implementing AI and ML technologies in the agricultural industry outweigh their drawbacks?

Started Dec. 21, 2023

Abstract or project description

Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are rapidly transforming various industries and employment landscapes through their ability to automate and boost efficiency. This is especially pertinent for one of the largest industries in the world: agriculture. This paper aims to address the question of whether the benefits of AI and ML technology innovation in the agricultural industry over the next decade will outweigh their drawbacks. Significant improvements in farming practices, precision enhancement, and resource optimization are a few notable examples of the benefits of AI and ML in the agricultural industry. Some use cases include automatic weeding and harvesting, short-term weather forecasting, yield gap analysis, and image-based crop health monitoring. Given some of the promising implementations of these technologies, the advantages of agriculture technology disruption will outweigh its drawbacks within the next ten years. By considering both the positive and negative aspects, an analysis is presented to evaluate the overall impact of AI and ML in shaping the future of agriculture. The findings suggest that, despite particular challenges, the potential of these technologies is likely to revolutionize the industry, leading to increased productivity in the relatively near future.