AI-powered weed-killing robots threaten a $60b market

A John Deere sprayer at work, applying herbicide only on weeds identified by cameras and leading to savings of up to 77% for growers. (Image: Deere & Co)

Bloomberg

Sat, 21 Sep 2024

By Michael HirtzerFarmers shelling out US$37 billion (NZ$59.5b) a year to drench fields in liquid weed killers are increasingly trying out a new model: use tech to use less.After almost a century of deploying a more-is-more approach to chemical herbicides, the global agricultural sector is rapidly rolling out advancements that promise to curb the use of weed-control sprays by as much as 90%. Using artificial intelligence-powered cameras, the new sprayers can identify and target invasive plants while avoiding cash crops. If even a frac...

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