Generative AI

Generative Artificial Intelligence Will Change Orchard and Vineyard Management

The speed of change is lightning fast. Last November ChatGPT was released in its research mode and by the middle
of January, it had signed up 100 million users. This is one of the fastest uptakes of new technology in recent times.
ChatGPT draws on the internet’s endless data and generates answers to the questions it is asked. ChatGPT in
seconds can produce convincing university essays and fully formed articles. It is a refined word processor that with
lightning speed draws on all the information accessible through the internet. It is inventive, creative and can be used
to predict and plan. It can also instantly pull together information from many different sources to explain complex
issues in simple terms. One of my recent examples is we were looking for the theme for a conference we are
planning, this year’s NZ Ethical Employers’ Conference. We were stuck, so we asked ChatGPT. Seconds later we had
a list of possible themes and settled on one that was most appropriate: Empowering Ethical Employment.

We are on the cusp of the next industrial revolution. In all previous industrial revolutions lower skilled jobs have
ended up being mechanised and those workers made redundant. This generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) industrial
revolution (with ChatGPT in the vanguard) is not going to see the lower skilled jobs are replaced, but the more
technical jobs. Anyone who writes articles or blogs is at risk of having generative AI replace them, such as me. (I did
not get ChatGPT to write this Blog, but it was tempting.) A massive transformation is coming and one where
wordsmiths will need to learn how to harness AI to enhance their work product or risk finding themselves
unemployed.

The possibilities for orchards and vineyards are immense. Planning, predicting, analysing and getting expert advice
(from AI agronomists) can now all be significantly enabled by generative AI if not completely taken over. The key to
making this successful is the data base that the AI technology is working from. A number of large consulting firms
are purchasing generative AI for their operations and giving their in-house version access to their data base of
analysis and opinions. This can be done for any operation. The key is the robustness and accuracy of the data that is
being relied on.

The competitive advantage of securing the best advice and analysis by employing the best people and accessing the
best consultants through generative AI will become widely available. Niche and start up operations will be able to
get the assistance they could only once dream of. The increase in productivity and economic growth that will result
will be exponential. Generative AI can also be used to work through climate change scenarios to develop the best
possible mitigation for highly productive and uninterrupted food production. There are no limits to what can be
done.

My prediction is that one year from now generative AI will have already significantly changed our workplaces and
increased our ability to analyse, plan and predict in ways today are hard to imagine. The question for all of us is:
how can we harness generative AI for everyone’s benefit while not making our current experts and wordsmiths
redundant?

 

For those of you who would like to attend the conference, Empowering Ethical Employment, mentioned at the start
of this blog, it is being held from 19 to 21 July at the Papamoa Surf Club. Generative AI will be on the agenda.

 

Mike Chapman
Chair New Zealand Ethical Employers Inc