Artificial Intelligence: Coming Soon to a Barnyard Near You

In a recent McKinsey Future of Work podcast interview with Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott, the CTO revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is about to go prime time and will begin showing up in the most unlikely of places – including our nation's farm fields Once a mysterious science being beta-tested by only Fortune 100 companies, AI is rapidly becoming more democratic, inclusive, and utilitarian – to even those residing in under-served communities. It's also becoming a versatile tool that can branch out to myriad market sectors, including one of our oldest – agriculture. Scott recently published a book entitled Reprogramming the American Dream: From Rural America to Silicon Valley – Making AI Serve Us All. The findings come from his personal experiences with AI being implemented to service populations in rural towns and working-class communities, rather than just hi-tech cities or corner offices. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on Microsoft's FarmBeats program – a platform that leverages AI to improve farming outcomes.