Agriculture

Indian farmers used chatbots and computer vision to produce higher yields at lower costs. The state government of Telangana in South India partnered with agricultural aid organization Digital Green to provide AI tools to chili farmers. 

Neural networks are helping humanitarian observers measure the extent of war damage to Ukraine’s grain crop. Analysts from the Yale School of Public Health and Oak Ridge National Laboratory built a computer vision model that detects grain-storage facilities in aerial photos.

The next green revolution may be happening in the server room. Microsoft open-sourced a set of AI tools designed to help farmers cut costs and improve yields.

Computer vision systems are scanning satellite photos to track construction on the Earth’s surface — an exercise in behavior recognition on a global scale.

Neural networks may help farmers make sure their animals are happy. Researchers led by Elodie Briefer and Ciara Sypherd at University of Copenhagen developed a system that interprets the moods behind a pig’s grunts and squeals.

Wineries in areas affected by wildfires are using machine learning to produce vintages that don’t taste like smoke. Some California winemakers are using a service called Tastry to identify grapes tainted by smoke from the state’s surging blazes and recommend blends that will mask the flavor.

Coffee producers are using machine learning to grow better beans.What’s new: Beverage giant Nespresso is rolling out a system to assess the quality of hybrid coffee seedlings using technology from Israeli-Colombian startup Demetria.

One of the world’s largest makers of farm equipment is doubling down on self-driving tractors. John Deere agreed to pay $250 million for Bear Flag Robotics, a California startup that upgrades conventional tractors.

The U.S. plans to build nearly a dozen new civilian AI research labs. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) committed $220 million to fund 11 National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, complementing seven other AI research institutes that were established last year.

Insects that spread pollen to fruiting plants are in trouble. A possible alternative: Robots. Farmers in Australia and the U.S. are using robots from Israeli startup Arugga Farming to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes.

A robot inspector is looking over the shoulders of robot welders. Farm equipment maker John Deere described a computer vision system that spots defective joints, helping to ensure that its heavy machinery leaves the production line ready to roll.

The White House called for new funding for AI research including a constellation of research centers. Nonetheless, the U.S. government’s annual spending on the technology still would lag behind that of several other...

Deep learning research is harvesting better ways to manage farms. A convolutional neural network predicted corn yields in fields across the U.S. Midwest.

Many of this year’s hottest AI companies are taking the spotlight from last year’s darlings.What’s new: CB Insights, which analyzes early-stage companies, published its annual list of the 100 “most promising” startups in AI.

A top meat packer is counting its chickens with AI. Tyson Foods is using computer vision to track drumsticks, breasts, and thighs as they move through its processing plants, the Wall Street Journal reports.