While these ultramodern appraisals of AI and CEA cultivation can seem
somewhat alarming, many see a real potential benefit in the technology,
namely because humans are, well, undependable. The industry is traditionally
plagued by labor shortages in jobs that aren’t very attractive to even the most
entry-level employees. Many companies, in CEA and beyond, understand the
struggles of finding dependable help for their businesses, with tech retail giant
Amazon currently employing more than 100,000 robots in its warehouse opera-
tions. In agriculture, there are several robots being developed that can handle
more rudimentary CEA garden chores such as leaf pruning. When it comes to
AI learning applications and high-level jobs in CEA, it’s worth noting even the
most rudimentary human error in fertilization or irrigation can have devastat-
ing effects on crops. Large vertical farming companies are aware of this and
are currently implementing AI help in certain facets of their operations.
Sensors and Data Analytics
Artificial intelligence applications in CEA are entirely data driven — machines
both gather, as well as use, this information as the basis of machine learning.
This sort of remote sensing, data compiling technology is already widely
popular in more advanced CEA operations, especially regarding soil and air
sensors. These technological advancements are used to measure moisture
levels in grow mediums, and temperature and humidity levels in the air,
while giving cultivators real-time updates on the working analytics of their
operations. Commercial agriculture operations are taking notions of remote
sensors and data analytics to the extreme by way of drone sensing. Some
commercial farms use drones to fly over fields of crops and take precise
readings of growth patterns and environmental conditions. This data informs
growers, in real time, what sort of elements their garden is lacking or
burdened with — allowing them to make proactive decisions in counteracting
potential problems. For the time being, drone technology in commercial
agriculture is still being utilized to inform rational decision-making in
the human mind — but many feel these processes would be integral with
informing data matrices in the “minds” of AI machines.
OMRI listed
MAXIMUM YIELD
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An organic biostimulant that
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Frank Iafrate • 610-656-7651
liventia.net/en/agriculture
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36
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