Farmers around the world are getting new helpers on their farms, but these helpers are not people or animals. They are artificial intelligence agents, which are smart computer programs that can watch, learn, and make decisions to help grow food and raise animals better.

Iowa State University in the United States has created a powerful new tool that is already helping farmers in their fields. The tool is called Pest-ID, and it works like a smart detective for farm problems. When a farmer sees a bug or weed they do not recognize, they can take a picture with their phone and send it to the Pest-ID website. The AI agent looks at the picture and quickly tells the farmer what they are looking at with over 96% accuracy. This is really important because some insects help crops grow while others damage them. The tool was shown at the Iowa State Fair in 2025, where people could test it and see how well it worked.

The scientists who built Pest-ID have been working on this idea since 2016. They trained the AI agent by showing it 12 million pictures of insects and even more pictures of weeds and plant diseases. Now the system has grown to include 150 million images from farms all around the world. The AI agent keeps learning and getting smarter as farmers upload more pictures. The tool is so good at identifying specific farm pests that it works better than general AI tools that most people use. Government agencies are now interested in using it to protect against invasive species that could harm food security.

Animal farming is also being transformed by AI agents that act as digital helpers for farmers. The global market for AI in precision livestock farming has grown very fast, reaching $2.23 billion in 2024. Experts predict it will grow to $19.87 billion by 2032, which means it will be almost nine times bigger in just eight years. This growth is happening because AI agents can do many important jobs on farms.

One of the most helpful things AI agents do is watch over animals all the time. Farmers are putting special sensors on animals and cameras in barns. These devices collect information about how animals are moving, eating, and behaving. The AI agent studies all this information and can spot when an animal is getting sick before any visible symptoms appear. This means farmers can help sick animals faster, which keeps the animals healthier and prevents diseases from spreading to other animals.

AI agents are also helping farmers feed animals more efficiently. Feed is the biggest cost for raising animals, making up 70% of total production costs. Smart AI systems watch each animal and figure out exactly how much food it needs based on its size, age, and health. This precision feeding means animals get exactly what they need to grow healthy and strong, while farmers save money by not wasting food. It also helps the environment because less wasted feed means less pollution.

In Ireland, farmers are adopting AI technology faster than many people expected. A recent report found that 77% of agricultural business leaders now use AI tools in their work. This is a huge jump from just a few years ago when hardly any farmers used AI. Among crop farmers specifically, 71% say precision agriculture technology is the most important innovation on their farms. These AI agents help farmers decide when to plant seeds, how much water to use, and where to apply fertilizer. The report also found that 31% of farmers say technology helps them make better decisions, while 37% say it makes their work more efficient.

Scientists are also building predictive AI agents that can warn farmers about problems before they happen. For example, researchers are working on an AI system that can predict avian flu outbreaks by looking at information from social media, weather patterns, and where wild birds are flying. This kind of early warning system could help farmers protect their chickens and turkeys from getting sick. The AI agent looks at huge amounts of information from many different sources and finds patterns that humans might miss.

All of these AI agents share an important feature: they work as autonomous helpers that can make decisions and take action without constant human supervision. They represent a shift from old farming methods where farmers had to react to problems after they happened, to new methods where AI agents predict and prevent problems. This change is especially important as the world's population grows and climate change makes farming more difficult. With AI agents working alongside them, farmers can produce more food while using fewer resources and protecting the environment.