What are the risks of introducing artificial intelligence in agriculture

The use of artificial intelligence in the agricultural industry is associated with significant potential risks for farms, farmers and food security in general. At the same time, potential threats often remain underestimated.

An article on risk analysis was published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. Its author is Asaf Tzahor from the Center for Existential Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge (CSER). The researcher believes that the introduction of AI has become commonplace for the agricultural sector: “Large companies are already pioneering the next generation of autonomous ag-bots and decision support systems that will replace people in the field. But so far, no one seems to have asked the question: “Are there any risks associated with the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence?”.

hackers

Cyber ​​attacks are one of the main threats. They can disrupt AI-powered farms by poisoning datasets or shutting down equipment, autonomous drones, and robotic harvesters. To protect against cyberattacks, scientists suggest hiring "white hat hackers" to detect any security breaches during the development phase so that systems can be protected from real hackers.

In the random failure scenario, the authors suggest that an AI system programmed to only produce the best crop in the short term may ignore the environmental impact of achieving this, leading to overuse of fertilizers, pesticides, and soil erosion in the long term. Involving applied ecologists in the technology development process could ensure that such scenarios are avoided.

Socio-economic inequality

Another issue mentioned by the researchers is the socio-economic inequality that is now ingrained in global agriculture. While autonomous harvesters and tractors could improve working conditions for farmers, these inequalities will continue.

“Expert AI farming systems that do not take into account the complexities of labor costs will ignore and potentially support the exploitation of disadvantaged communities,” Asaf Tzahor said.

Financing of the agro-industrial complex proposed to be increased by 242 billion rubles

Smaller manufacturers are likely to be deprived of the benefits associated with the use of artificial intelligence. Marginalization, low internet penetration, and the digital divide can prevent smallholder farmers from embracing advanced technologies. We are talking about agricultural drones, sensors and unmanned harvesters.