ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to South Georgia agriculture.

When you think of agriculture, Artificial Intelligence probably doesn’t automatically come to mind, but research shows that bringing AI to the farms can help with production and costs. Now, South Georgia college students and farmers will have the opportunity to try AI in agriculture.

The Georgia Center of Innovation presented robots, drones, pickers and more that could help take the burden off of farmers.

“We have so many different things that affect we farmers here in Albany, Georgia — dealing with heat and the environment, so we really want to integrate as much knowledge as we can.” said Clinton Vicks, owner of Vicks Farms and Coordinator of Agriculture and AI Expo.

From heat in a greenhouse, to pulling weeds in a field, AI is proving to help farmers. Researchers say a lot of crops that grow in the South require extensive heat, and AI can help keep farmers keep their cool.

Hunter Holloran, a research engineer, said being able to send a robot into the blazing South Georgia heat allows farmers to avoid putting themselves in that sort of “brutal situation.” Holloran said robots can be controlled by the farmer’s own cognition.

Holloran uses a robotic dog to help see underground using AI technology. This allows farmers to be proactive with weeds and help use less pesticides on their crops.

“When you’re able to see if some extra woody root is starting to grow out of the ground, you can actually see that 3D footprint and know that you have a crop that was either improperly, locationally planted or you have a contaminated crop that needs to be removed immediately.” Holloran explained.

Vicks said that these technologies will not take away any jobs.

“AI is an efficiency tool — It doesn’t replace the thinkers, he said. “The consciousness that has to be there in order for any type of business to flourish.”

Efficiency is the name of the game. Tools like lemon separators use AI to recognize the ripe, underripe and molded lemons. A whiff of air separates the lemons in half of the time as farmers could.

Tools like these are making their way to your South Georgia School System.

The University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Engineering said they are working to get these technologies to other Georgia schools like Albany Technical College so that students there can “continue to learn and grow without being here in Athens.”

Ultimately, the industry will evolve, and embracing AI technology could be a step in the right direction for South Georgia farmers and agriculture students.

Studies show 85% of jobs that will be available in 2030 do not exist yet. Technology like this can help secure national security and keep our farmers ahead of the curve.

“Investing in Precision Agriculture and new ag technology is vital to ensuring the continued success of our state’s #1 industry and farm families across Georgia,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper explained. “It will enable our farmers to be more effective, more efficient and more sustainable. And that will help keep more of their hard-earned money on the farm.”

Tim Robinson, a farmer in Albany says he’s excited for AI to be used on the farm. “I know that AI will be helpful because technology is the future. AI can assist in the physical aspects of soil management, crop planting, pest and weed control. AI can assist in forestry management by detecting insects and pathogens and land security. AI can assist in wildlife and pond management. These are just a few areas where AI can be a benefit to farming.”

Tonight, WALB’s Ashanti Isaac will show how these technologies are already being utilized in Albany.

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