Want to know how pervasive AI is becoming in seemingly all facets of daily life? Just ask Deere & Company. The John Deere brand owner just acquired Blue River Technology, which uses machine learning and computer vision to target herbicide spraying at just the weed-infested portions of a farm field. The technology can minimize both waste and the amount of input needed while spraying, saving farmers headaches and money in the process. The deal involves a $305 million investment and should wrap up later in September.

The agricultural equipment manufacturer posted revenue of $10.31 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $9.29 billion, beating Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $9.17 billion.

Johnson, who won the tournament in 2012 and has finished in the top three six times in his last eight appearances, challenged the leaders yet again before falling back. Johnson picked up bogeys on a pair of par 4s on the back nine, and he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on 14.

Autonomous driving technology combined with sensor-driven software platforms are transforming farming. When I walked into Deere & Co.'s Intelligent Solutions Group offices in Des Moines, one of the first things I saw was a familiar graphic on the wall - a neat visualization of what it means to make a minimum viable product. That's'lean startup' talk, which isn't unusual in most of the startups and tech shops I visit. But this was John Deere, the 180-year-old maker of huge tractors and huge combines and huge harvesters – maximum viable products. I'd driven over from Chicago to learn more about "precision agriculture," which is old-fashioned, work-the-land farming, augmented with apps and other gadgets that do everything from monitor soil moisture to drive tractors.