When It Comes to AI, Who’s Flying the Airplane?
September 24, 2024 During our recent Tech Hub LIVE conference in Des Moines, IA, I posed this question to attendees.
When I was working on my private pilot license years ago, one of the most important things my instructor instilled in me was: Always fly the airplane.
What seemed like obvious advice was so much more. What he meant was keep your head together. Make good decisions. Control your inputs. Follow your checklist. And always fly the airplane, especially in an emergency.
I’ve never forgotten those words, and even modified it when teaching my daughters how to drive. In other words, if the car starts to skid, or you have a blowout or an animal darts in front of the car – keep your head, make good decisions, and always maintain control of the vehicle. Always drive the car. Don’t let the car drive you.
We’re just starting to appreciate the power and possibilities of AI, including generative AI, and more recently AI agents. Yet, there’s an understandable apprehension and sometimes outright fear of what the undesirable outcomes might look like.
Algorithmic bias is one such undesirable outcome.
Dr. Joy Buolamwini’s book, “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines,” explores algorithmic bias and what she calls “the coded gaze” – the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products.
She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to address some of AI’s harms, which include racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism. Our Women in Ag Tech group was introduced to her work during our July 29th meeting in Des Moines (co-located with Tech Hub LIVE), when we viewed her YouTube video, “AI, Ain’t I A Woman?”
As for ag technology, where might algorithmic bias exist? What else do we need to be cautious about when it comes to AI in ag tech? What decisions are best made by the farmer or the retailer, versus an algorithm?
Who’s flying the airplane?
Brian Lutz, Vice President of Agronomic Solutions at Corteva Agriscience, emphasized during our VISION Conference last January that technology is an enabler, not the solution.
I do know that the more we integrate technology into ag tech and every other aspect of our lives, the more we need to balance it with what is uniquely human, like questioning and curiosity, being honest and ethical, taking pride in your work, your family farm, your business, and the words you say and write.
So no, I don’t believe AI will replace agronomists, and I don’t believe it will replace journalists.
We’re flying the airplane.
Let’s get growing!
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