A BRAVE NEW DIGITAL WORLD
conversations with, components of AI in that capacity have reduced stressors that would normally have contributed to burnout in the long- term,” Thompson says. It’s no exaggeration to say that AI has influenced virtually every sector of the economy, from financial services and health care to manufacturing and logistics. That said, few have felt its impact quite the way the agricultural industry here in Manitoba has, especially when it comes to production efficiency and data-driven decision-making.
are likely to emerge so they can be addressed proactively and more intensely. It’s hoped that it will mean producers will need to use less herbicide to deal with weeds that can have a significant impact on the yield and quality of a crop. Another AI-powered device being tested at EMILI’s Innovation Farms sites is a new crop sentry system designed by Winnipeg-based AGi3. The system looks like a typical weather station and collects data on conditions in the field that is then used to provide ongoing, real- time yield predictions. Producers
Beverlie Stuart
"I think AI is providing a good opportunity to increase efficiencies in how we farm here in Manitoba and across the whole agriculture industry." — Jacqueline Keena, managing director of EMILI
Jacqueline Keena is managing director of the Enterprise Machine Intelligence Learning Initiative (EMILI), a Manitoba-based non- profit dedicated to increasing the integration and adoption of intelligent technologies into the agriculture industry. Keena says AI is transforming the ag industry because it’s helping producers get to where they need to be more quickly than more traditional tools. “I think AI is providing a good opportunity to increase efficiencies in how we farm here in Manitoba and across the whole agriculture industry,” she explains. “It’s helping us get to data-driven insights and decision points faster than we might otherwise be able to as humans and we try to evaluate a bunch of different variables. We’re at an interesting place in history where we finally have a lot of data to train these various AI models on.” Keena points out two examples of AI that could potentially change the way we farm in this province. EMILI is currently working with a company called Geco Strategic Weed Management on a software system that uses AI algorithms to determine where herbicide-resistant weeds
could then use that information to determine if they’re on-track for a significant yield and if investing in additional nutrient or pesticide applications is warranted. Keena’s advice to producers who are considering incorporating AI into their farm operations is to take a measured approach. “Some of these solutions can provide some significant increases in productivity and efficiency of operation,” she says. “But some are early stage and they need to go through effective testing and validating procedures before we start rolling them out on their own farms.” As far as the business community as a whole, MITT’s Stuart recommends organizations look at the big picture in terms of how AI can mesh with their operations, starting small with administrative functions and building out from there. She also suggests companies focus on established AI products with licences such Microsoft’s Copilot, ChatGPT or Perplexity when they begin implementing AI rather than choosing free platforms that come with some inherent security risks. ■
Jacqueline Keena
companies that have incorporated AI into their business operations are going to need to re-imagine the roles and job descriptions of people on staff. “A strong leader, regardless of what their organization is, needs to understand the people they have working for them,” she says. “They should be able to help guide the transformation of specific roles so that the employees know exactly where the role of AI aligns best, how that task can be taken off their plate, where their individual human skill set is still irreplaceable and what that looks like now.” One of the benefits of incorporating AI into a workplace is that it can help reduce employee burnout by automating repetitive tasks and allowing staff to focus on higher-value and more creative tasks. That means that rather than simply adding more duties to an employee’s workload, employers can allow those individuals to focus on more human-centric tasks. “For me and people that I’ve had
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WINTER 2025
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