Chinese AI farming bot wins innovation award

An agricultural artificial intelligence model developed by a research team from Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang province received the highest award at the 2024 British Innovation and Technology Show in January.

The Diamond Natural Earth Award was bestowed on the AI model named Kwoo, and the over 150-strong team from Harbin, which included teachers and postgraduate students from the faculty of computing. A further 26 undergraduate students dedicated themselves to developing Android, IOS, web and WeChat mini-programs for the AI model.

"Agriculture is fundamental to human survival," said Jiang Jingchi, an associate professor from the faculty. "At present, large-scale production in modern agriculture has evolved from machinery automation to intellectual and unmanned operation."

Advanced intelligent decision-making tools are crucial in achieving intelligent field management in agricultural production, such as precise planting, pest risk assessment and yield prediction, he said. "As early as 2020, we started to develop an agricultural knowledge graph and conceptualize the model," Jiang said.

On Oct 23, Kwoo was registered by the Cyberspace Administration of China. Through demonstrations in capability, information filtering and ethical review, it became the first officially approved agricultural large model in China.

By automatically retrieving data including knowledge of both crop phenotype growth and agricultural operations, Kwoo is able to establish a unified plan.

"With advantages in image recognition, environmental data monitoring, professional knowledge and crop growth cycle prediction, the model provides intelligent guidance for farmers during their agricultural operations," said Jiang. "It can enhance overall crop cultivation efficiency, reduce total production costs, improve crop yield and quality, and eventually enhance the market competitiveness of agricultural products."

Integrating the cognitive capabilities of generative AI large language models, the model can provide intelligent responses in areas such as seed variety recommendation, standardized cultivation practices, pest prevention schemes and disease control methods.

By assessing external intervention factors such as weather, soil and management, the model can achieve high-precision long-term growth predictions for 24 crops and 64 varieties, including rice, corn, soybean and wheat.

"It provides effective warnings and prevention strategies before natural disasters, climate change and other challenges, thereby assuring food security," Jiang said.

With strong regional adaptability and knowledge specialization, Kwoo can support regional crop planning to address the uneven distribution of agricultural technologies in different regions. So far, Kwoo has been applied on over 66,000 hectares of farmland inside and outside Heilongjiang, through partnerships with academies of agricultural sciences in different regions and agricultural enterprises.

Leveraging the capabilities of Kwoo, farmers have achieved an average 5 percent increase in yield and a 10 percent reduction in both production and management costs. "Kwoo offers a platform that boasts communication and learning opportunities for agricultural technology personnel and promotes updating their knowledge and skill improvement," Jiang said.

The British Innovation and Technology Show was launched in 2001 by the British Inventors Society with support from the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office. Its evaluation system focuses on the contribution to human society and ecology, requiring originality, uniqueness and practicality of technology. It is recognized as one of the most influential international invention exhibitions in the world.

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn