In agriculture, AI promises to streamline workflows and logistics, automate undesirable and unsafe tasks, enhance precision agriculture, and support decision-making under increasingly unpredictable climate conditions. However, AI can also threaten agricultural sustainability in several ways, from destabilizing the workforce to contributing to overproduction and increased carbon emissions due to the heavy energy costs of training and maintaining AI models. Ag-educators, extension professionals, crop consultants, and other outreach professionals will be instrumental in navigating these impacts and may increasingly be called upon to engage with AI-related issues that concern their audiences. A broad understanding of both communication and AI in society may equip ag-professionals with the tools they need to best serve the public in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
The Training
CSANR researcher and educator Alex Kirkpatrick is leading a team in developing the 10-module series of training videos and self-guided activities. Participants will have the opportunity to gain a deeper awareness of AI in society and sustainable agriculture, develop knowledge of behavioral models predicting technology adoption, obtain skills in utilizing communication theory to meet engagement goals, and enhance their confidence in addressing AI-related issues in agriculture. The team is currently conducting and analyzing a series of interviews with ag-professionals to determine their current and future needs related to understanding AI and the future of agriculture.
Source : wsu.edu