The Year of Making AI Work

Farmers and agricultural experts are changing how they think about artificial intelligence in 2026. Last year, people talked excitedly about all the amazing things AI could do for farming. This year is different. Now, farmers want to know: "Will this help me make more money?" and "Can this help my crops survive hot summers and bad weather?" Farmers are tired of hearing promises. They want real results.

Smarter Data Systems

Farms collect huge amounts of information from sensors, drones, and apps. The problem is that all this data sits in separate systems and doesn't work together. This week, big changes are happening. Israel just joined Europe in creating standard ways for data to work together. This means different AI systems can now "talk" to each other and learn from each other's information. AI can now look at years of farm history and predict when pests might attack or when crops need nutrients. This type of smart AI is called Decision Support Systems, and it helps farmers plan their work better.

Robots and Self-Driving Tractors

Farm work is hard to find these days. Many countries don't have enough workers to harvest crops and care for animals. AI-powered robots and self-driving machines are becoming the answer. Tractors can now drive themselves 24 hours a day without a person inside. Drones watch crops and tell farmers when plants are sick or stressed. Robot arms can pick delicate fruit as fast as human workers. Companies are making these machines cheaper and offering them for rent instead of selling them, so smaller farms can use them too.

Climate-Smart Farming

Weather is becoming more extreme and unpredictable. Climate change is no longer a future problem—it's happening right now on farms. Farmers are using new technologies to protect plants from heat, salt, and drought. AI-designed plants are being created using new science called CRISPR gene editing. This is different from old-style genetically modified crops because scientists make tiny, precise changes inside a plant's natural genes. Scientists can now create wheat that handles heat better and drought-resistant crops much faster than old breeding methods.

AI Isn't Replacing Farmers

There's worry that AI will take away farm jobs. But experts say the real story is more complicated. AI is automating specific tasks, not whole jobs. Farms still need farmers and workers to use the information that AI gives them. AI might tell a farmer that a field needs water, but a human decides when and how much to water. However, there's an important problem: when AI makes a wrong decision, the farmer pays the price. If an AI system says to water a field at the wrong time and ruins the crop, the machine doesn't lose money—the farmer does. This makes farmers nervous about trusting AI completely.

Uneven Benefits

AI tools work great for big farms with lots of money and technology. But smaller farms struggle to use these tools. Not all farms have fast internet, computers, or money to buy AI systems. This could make poor farmers fall even further behind rich farmers. Around the world, only about 25% of farms use advanced technology. Experts warn that if AI help isn't shared fairly, some farmers will be left behind.

AI in Developing Countries

Good news is coming from poorer countries. AI is helping solve problems that rich countries solve with expensive tools. In India, Pakistan, and Kenya, AI is creating better artificial hands for farmers who lost arms in farm accidents. Researchers and farmers working together are building AI tools that understand local languages and farming styles. Instead of AI designed by rich countries, poor countries are designing their own AI solutions.

A Big Meeting This Week

On February 18, in New Delhi, India, world leaders and experts are gathering for a major summit on AI in agriculture. The event will bring together government leaders, scientists, and technology companies from Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They will discuss how to move AI from laboratories into real farms. This is the first big AI meeting held in the Global South, which shows how important AI is becoming everywhere in the world.

What Needs to Happen Next

Experts agree on what farming needs from AI: AI that helps farmers decide, not AI that replaces them. The technology works best when farmers trust it and understand how it works. Companies need to share responsibility with farmers when things go wrong. Data systems need to work together so all farms—big and small—can use AI tools. And AI needs to be designed thinking about local farming styles, languages, and problems, not just profits.