b'Startups Are About to TransformBRIAN BURNEYPRESIDENT/CEO,Ag with Artificial IntelligenceOLIVER MANUFACTURINGBrian.Burney@olivermanufacturing.comolivermanufacturing.comRECENTLY, THE NEW YORK TIMESdiscussed the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) led by large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook. The calculations required to develop the technology behindWhat Does It futuristic products like self-driving cars or digital assistants that can see, talk, and reason are now so complex and require so much computer power that soon, pioneering artificial intelligence research will be a field of haves andMean to Behave nots. To all of which, I say: Not at all. In the world of agriculture, in fact, AI is a vast new opportunity, and openMade in the USAto players large and small across the supply chain.Farmers, breeders, seed companies, consumers and retailers stand to benefit from it. Heres why:Breeding has always been a data-driven enterprise. Now, more than ever, advances in computing power and our understanding of genetics have givenUP TO THE CHALLENGE. Willing to face us the ability to crunch exponentially greater amounts of information touncertainty. Making yourself vulnerable. Hedging produce increasingly useful outputsincluding predictions. Until recentlyrisk and developing relationships. In a global implementing these computational tools required computing resources thateconomy, this is where American ingenuity thrives. were only affordable for big multi-national corporations. Thats why thoseAmericans competitive advantage is in our diver-same multi-national corporations are now rolling out the first new seed prod- sity and creativity of thought.ucts developed through this technologyimproved corn hybrids, soybeans,Science and solutions dont happen in a linear cotton and other row crops. fashion. Weve got to keep our minds and our eyes We developed a crop design platform, called CropOS, which we use toopen to the world around us. We see opportuni-tap the natural genetic diversity in plants. In a world in which food demand isties and collaborations and work to build those to growing while finite resources are dwindling and climate change is accelerat- better not only our businesses but our products, ing, we view this mission as vital both to the planet and humanity. Were notservices and offerings. Moreover, when you con-worried, and farmers and breeders need not worry, about the intensifying con- sider how things get done, it is curiosity, innovation centration of computer firepower by large corporations. and collaboration that drive the quality, durability What farmers and breeders and seed companies do need to keep in mindand performance that were known for.is this: Within the next five years, AI startups will begin generating a secondHave you ever wondered where all the good wave of agricultural innovation. So just as the use of AI is helpingideas come from? I can tell you it doesnt come to transform agriculture itself, other members of the agri- from a book or a blog. It doesnt come from culture value chain need to start acquainting them- LinkedIn or some social influencer. It comes from selves with the data theyll need to make smartcommitment to finding a solution. Its obsession decisions about the new options theyll soon bewith making a product or service better? Its tear-offered. The good news is that a lot of that dataing it apart with a critical eye and knowing the will be readily accessible, and there are evenadvantages and disadvantages of every compo-organizations, like the Farmers Business Network,nent. Its a relentless pursuit of improvement. to help farmers analyze it.This has gotten both easier and more compli-It will require effort on everyones part tocated against the backdrop of AI and the digital make the most of the new opportunities. But ofrevolutioneasier because there is more informa-this Im sure: It will be worth it. tion at our fingertips than ever before and more complicated because theres so much more to discern. There is a tendency to forget that humans have to live with technology, and just because we can do something doesnt necessarily mean that PAUL SKROCH we should.Unlike 50 years ago, today Made in the USA VICE PRESIDENT OF DATA SCIENCE AND PLATFORM ENGINEERING, BENSON HILL is really a reflection of how well we look outward and partner with others around the world to find pskroch@bensonhill.com bensonhill.com/ solutions and cost-effectively deliver them to our customers.40/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2020'