The challenge of AI
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the buzzword nowadays. So it was not surprising that at a recently-held conference in Colombo with mostly foreign participants from India and Indonesia, dealing with the challenges of AI on the green economy, food and cybersecurity, the word ‘AI’ was used once in every five words. Is this tool – which does many things that a mind does – a benefit, an asset or a danger to mankind?Here are two sides of the same coin that is AI. In an article on the news platform Project Syndicate, Jim O’Neill – a former UK Treasury minister – says: “I often hear from those most deeply immersed in the (AI) field that I don’t ‘get’ how frighteningly fast AI development is proceeding. I have failed to appreciate just how dangerous the technology could be, especially if it reaches the point where it can adapt its own thinking without any input from its controller. By the same token, if AI ends up in the wrong hands – be it criminal organisations or rogue states – it could cause political and social havoc.”
That is about the dangers. What about the benefits? The Netherlands with a population of just 16.7 million has become the world’s second largest exporter of agriculture products. Dutch farmers use the latest techniques in precision agriculture, AI-led analytics and world-leading water management systems. Furthermore, the farm lots are in thousands of acres per farmer – using these modern techniques – whereas in South Asia, particularly India and Sri Lanka, farmers own less than an acre, making it uneconomical.
So the message should be – use it but with caution! This was the subject of a discussion when I called Pedris Appo, short for Appuhamy, a retired agriculture expert who does farming, to discuss this issue.
“Hi Appo, I was attending a very interesting discussion on AI and its impact on agriculture. What are your thoughts on this,” I asked. “Well I am not an expert on AI but one of the biggest problems facing local farmers is that in many cases they don’t own the land they farm. Often it is on lease and they make losses owing to many reasons – not getting the proper price (in this case paddy), costly inputs and
destructive weather (either too much rain or too much sun),” he said.
“But will a model where one farmer owns many acres help where economies of scale (and the use of modern technology) will make his land productive and financially rewarding,” I asked. “Maybe it will, but we are a long way to reach that stage,” he replied.
For decades modern societies have been trying to get rid of the middleman – the go-between producers and consumers; now that chance has arrived using AI technology. AI can help farmers get live data about weather patterns (when there is sun or rain or dependence on traditional monsoons); save water during heavy rain for use later during sunny days; advise on soil conditions; advance notice on demand; and what to grow and what not to grow.
Speaking at the AI summit in Colombo, Dr. Prashant Goswami, Chair, India’s Institute of Frontier Science and Application, said that if an onion farmer was taking his crop to Chennai from Bangalore in an open truck, he would like to know whether it would rain or not. For, if it rains his crop would get spoilt. Advance notice on weather patterns (using AI) can help him make the call on whether his truck should be covered or not.
Dr. Geethalakshmi Vellengiri, a former Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, said with AI, farmers can sit on their beds or overseas and switch on a water motor using AI tools. It can also be used for crop optimisation, as an early warning system (on rain/drought) and advise farmers what produces well (vegetables/fruits) on the land and what does not (by assessing soil conditions).
In the Sri Lankan context, AI technology can guide farmers – on future demand of a product – to produce what is going to be in demand, not produce in bulk a vegetable or fruit that they have to eventually destroy as the supply was more than the demand. One of the woes of Sri Lankan farmers is being forced to destroy tonnes of vegetables because of low prices and oversupply.
There was an interesting perspective on AI and education. While it is believed that many jobs would become obsolete when AI takes over our lives, teachers would still be a difficult vocation to replace.
According to Ujjwal Kumar, Co-Founder, digiMoGo inc., Quizly App (USA, India) whose AI product is helping thousands of teachers in India, edu-tech (AI tools in education) can be used where there are learning gaps; where some children are fast learners while others are left behind. This second category is known as ‘learn’ helplessness where students lose interest in a subject. There are no means today to identify these gaps in the classroom.
AI, he says, can assist teachers – not (REMEMBER) replace them. “AI will never replace teachers in the classroom; rather it would help them on the way by using AI tools. Only the human mind can assess behaviours in the classroom, why students are unable to learn, also if there are problems at home and many other issues that only a human mind can assess,” he said.
Asela Waidyalankara, a Sri Lankan cybersecurity and AI policy leader, said that there are two views on how the world perceives AI: In the developed world, AI is about replacing humankind while in developing countries it’s about meeting development goals and targets. Two different policies on how the world looks at AI.
It was that time of the morning for me to pick up my second mug of tea from the kitchen and also find out what the trio was discussing under the margosa tree.
“Apey wee wagawa nethiwuna, kumburu loku wessakata yata wuna nisa (We have lost our paddy crop because of heavy rains which flooded the fields),” said Kussi Amma Sera talking about her family’s farming involvement. “Apita wena prashnayak thibbey. Okkoma govin gowa waga karey, ithin aswenna godak wedi wuna. Etha kota illuma aduwuna, mila adu wuna. Ethin apita paadu wuna (We had another problem; every farmer produced cabbage and there was too much supply resulting in lower prices and a loss),” said Serapina. “Govithan karana eka hari paadui. Mama danney nae, kavada apey govinta laabayak weida kiyala (Farming is always at a loss. I don’t know when farmers will make profits,” added Mabel Rasthiyadu.
At the end of the day, for farming to be lucrative, farmers should own the land they toil on; be able to own larger extents than one acre or less; be armed with modern tools and techniques which will provide early warning systems on too much rain or too much sun and have a green economy that would be beneficial to all.
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