These organizations are using AI to reshape operations in surprising ways Posted on : Jul 20 - 2021

From online dating to cybersecurity, AI is routinely working behind the scenes in various aspects of our day-to-day lives.

From smart infrastructure grids to bot-authored news reports, algorithms and artificial intelligence capabilities are routinely working behind the scenes in various aspects of our day-to-day lives. COVID-19 only accelerated the adoption of automation across industries and Gartner pegged "smarter, responsible [and] scalable AI" as one of its top 2021 data and analytics tech trends. In this roundup, we've highlighted some of the ways AI is transforming everything from animal conversation efforts to matchmaking in the digital age.

Agtech industry

The agtech company AppHarvest is using a number of transformative practices to reimagine farming in the 21st century, including AI. The company is tapping computer vision and AI to help its robo-harvester, Virgo, pick ripe produce right from the vine.

The robotic harvester uses a suite of cameras and infrared laser to map its work environment and uses this information to assess a tomato's orientation and gauge whether it is "ripe enough to pick," a company press release said. These scans allow Virgo to determine the "least obstructive and fastest route" to pluck produce using its onboard gripper and arm.

In August, the produce-picking harvesting robot flexed new dexterity skills as it picked strawberries and cucumbers. (Previously, Virgo was shown picking tomatoes off the vine in other videos.)

"With robots roving through the facility, interacting with and caring for the crops, we will be continuously collecting data on plant production to feed into AI and then using software to align facility operations with sales and logistics, making farming as reliable and predictable as a factory," said Webb at a recent AppHarvest earnings meeting. View More