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New AI Tool Offers Timely Advice for Farmers
WINNIPEG – AI extension has arrived in Canada.
Farm Credit Canada and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) have unveiled a generative artificial intelligence tool that will deliver “timely advice (that) producers can use immediately.”
The tool is called Root.
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FCC says it will help farmers adopt best practices, right from their phones.
“Root is more than a technology solution, it’s part of a broader effort to bring back something Canadian agriculture has lost: accessible, trusted and timely insight,” Justine Hendricks, FCC president and chief executive, said in a release.
“With the decline of local advisory networks (extension services), too many farmers and ranchers have had to rely on fragmented information or go at it alone. By partnering with RDAR, we’re helping producers access the kind of expertise that once came from decades of community-based knowledge sharing.”
Many agronomists, livestock specialists and extension experts would take issue with the idea that farmers no longer have trusted and timely advice.
Nonetheless, it is correct to say that government cutbacks have reduced extension services. There are fewer people on the Prairies that provide unbiased and relevant information to producers.
There was a time, maybe 30 to 40 years ago, when provincial government reps were the clear-cut leaders of ag extension across Canada.
Provincial agriculture departments still employ specialists in regional offices, who are responsible for delivering the latest research and best information to livestock and crop producers.
But the number of provincial extension specialists has shrunk.
In some provinces, they have almost disappeared.
In October 2020, the Western Producer reported that the Alberta government had laid off about 135 Alberta Agriculture employees who worked in primary agriculture. That included research and extension staff.
“People always forget that Alberta Agriculture had offices across the province and there was a lot of co-operative work that was done,” said Ross McKenzie, a retired department employee.
“That capacity will be lost. You’ll see (applied research) groups … kind of pick up and carry on, but you won’t have that co-ordinated effort across the province that we had.”
Root might fill some of the void that exists in agricultural extension.
It was actually launched earlier this year and has already “supported” more than 2,900 conversations about farm management, including troubleshooting for problems with machinery, FCC said.
Being an AI tool, Root can gather information and learn from the latest agricultural results from research done in Canada and elsewhere.
“We are especially keen on incorporating RDAR (research) materials into Root … making our materials accessible to producers and ranchers,” said Mark Redmond, RDAR’s chief executive officer.
“We are pleased to formalize our partnership with FCC; in the past, we have worked on initiatives concurrently, but now we will collaborate more closely.”
For years, commodity groups for grains, oilseeds, pulses and livestock have used podcasts, webinars, YouTube videos, Twitter (X) and other technologies to share the best information with their members.
The new AI tool could be helpful for producers, but some extension experts still believe personal relationships matter.
Tracy Herbert, the knowledge mobilization and communication director with the Beef Cattle Research Council, said those modern tools can be effective, but personable relationships are critical when it comes to adoption of new agricultural practices.
“Without someone you have a trusted relationship with, who can provide that customized guidancev… it’s far less likely that you’ll get to the last step in that process (adoption).”
AI Research
Wiley partners with Claude creator Anthropic, responsibly integrating AI across scholarly research — EdTech Innovation Hub
Wiley says it is adopting the Model Context Protocol, an open standard created by Anthropic which aims to provide seamless integration between authoritative, peer-reviewed content and AI tools across platforms.
Starting with a pilot project, and subject to definitive agreement, the partnership will see Wiley and Anthropic working together to ensure university partners have streamlined, enhanced access to Wiley content.
The partnership will also establish standards for integrating AI tools into scientific journal content, while providing appropriate context for users, including attributions and citations.
“The future of research lies in ensuring that high-quality, peer-reviewed content remains central to AI-powered discovery,” explans Josh Jarrett, Senior Vice President of AI Growth at Wiley.
“Through this partnership, Wiley is not only setting the standard for how academic publishers integrate trusted scientific content with AI platforms but is also creating a scalable solution that other institutions and publishers can adopt. By adopting MCP, we’re demonstrating our commitment to interoperability and helping to ensure authoritative, peer-reviewed research will be discoverable in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.”
“We’re excited to partner with Wiley to explore how AI can accelerate and enhance access to scientific research,” adds Lauren Collett, who leads Higher Education partnerships at Anthropic.
“This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to building AI that amplifies human thinking—enabling students to access peer-reviewed content with Claude, enhancing learning and discovery while maintaining proper citation standards and academic integrity.”
The news comes shortly after Anthropic announced the launch of Claude for Education, a version of its chatbot tailored to meet the needs of higher education institutions.
RTIH AI in Retail Awards
Our sister title, RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries.
As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers’ businesses.
With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.
Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work – resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.
Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.
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Humanoid robot says not aiming to ‘replace human artists’
When successful artist Ai-Da unveiled a new portrait of King Charles this week, the humanoid robot described what inspired the layered and complex piece, and insisted it had no plans to “replace” humans.
The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, is designed to resemble a human woman with an expressive, life-like face, large hazel eyes and brown hair cut in a bob.
The arms though are unmistakably robotic, with exposed metal, and can be swapped out depending on the art form it is practicing.
Late last year, Ai-Da’s portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching over $1 million.
But as Ai-Da unveiled its latest creation — an oil painting entitled “Algorithm King”, conceived using artificial intelligence — the humanoid insisted the work’s importance could not be measured in money.
“The value of my artwork is to serve as a catalyst for discussions that explore ethical dimensions to new technologies,” the robot told AFP at Britain’s diplomatic mission in Geneva, where the new portrait of King Charles will be housed.
The idea, Ai-Da insisted in a slow, deliberate cadence, was to “foster critical thinking and encourage responsible innovation for more equitable and sustainable futures”.
– ‘Unique and creative’ –
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations’ AI for Good summit, Ai-Da, who has done sketches, paintings and sculptures, detailed the methods and inspiration behind the work.
“When creating my art, I use a variety of AI algorithms,” the robot said.
“I start with a basic idea or concept that I want to explore, and I think about the purpose of the art. What will it say?”
The humanoid pointed out that “King Charles has used his platform to raise awareness on environmental conservation and interfaith dialog. I have aimed this portrait to celebrate” that, it said, adding that “I hope King Charles will be appreciative of my efforts”.
Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art, led the team that created Ai-Da in 2019 with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham.
He told AFP that he had conceived the humanoid robot — named after the world’s first computer programmer Ada Lovelace — as an ethical arts project, and not “to replace the painters”.
Ai-Da agreed.
There is “no doubt that AI is changing our world, (including) the art world and forms of human creative expression”, the robot acknowledged.
But “I do not believe AI or my artwork will replace human artists”.
Instead, Ai-Da said, the aim was “to inspire viewers to think about how we use AI positively, while remaining conscious of its risks and limitations”.
Asked if a painting made by a machine could really be considered art, the robot insisted that “my artwork is unique and creative”.
“Whether humans decide it is art is an important and interesting point of conversation.”
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TSU and the AIRI Institute have opened an artificial intelligence laboratory in chemistry and molecular engineering | News
The laboratory will develop and implement AI methods for creating new materials and medicines based on the analysis of chemical, biological and medical data.
It was opened at the Engineering Chemical Technology Center (ECTC). The new division will use AI to develop new medicines and simulate the properties of chemical compounds. For example, scientists will create methods for predicting the physico-chemical properties of chemical compounds and algorithms for analyzing quantum patterns in atomic and molecular physics, including macroscopic quantum effects. They will conduct research in the field of chemoinformatics (chemical informatics, molecular informatics), bioinformatics at the levels of DNA, cells and tissues, and develop digital assistants and intelligent decision support systems for chemical technologies.
Artur Kadurin, head of the AI in Life Sciences Research Group at the AIRI Institute and scientific director of the new laboratory, noted during the event that modern life sciences and materials science generate unprecedented amounts of data. The laboratory’s task is to develop and apply AI methods to analyze and combine this heterogeneous information at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and physics.
“Accelerating the development of therapeutic drugs and functional materials depends on our ability to predict the complex properties of substances and their interactions. We will focus on creating computational approaches that will make it possible to effectively use the potential of artificial intelligence technologies to solve these problems. In turn, experts from TSU will provide the experimental validation of the proposed methods,” said Artur Kadurin.
According to Vyacheslav Goiko, director of the TSU Institute for Big Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence, the introduction of AI into the work of chemical scientists and molecular engineering specialists is a fundamental change in the very logic of scientific research.
“The future belongs to those who learn how to use AI to accelerate scientific research and generate new knowledge. And this future is being created here in Tomsk today. These are colleagues from the AI Institute, recognized leaders in the field of fundamental and applied AI research. Our team has extensive experience in conducting research and applied developments based on the Cyberia supercomputer. ECTC provides expertise in synthesis and analysis of substances and in scaling of chemical processes,” said Vyacheslav Goiko.
Unique ECTC plants will be used for the projects of the new laboratory. For example, the center’s scientists are currently developing Russia’s first AI system for actual production in low-tonnage chemicals.
“The main goal is to accelerate the production cycle, eliminate the human factor to increase the accuracy and safety of the process, which, in this case, is the production of sodium tartrate. AI helps predict changes in parameters and clearly analyze the consequences of changes, which is important in the continuous process of developing a substance,” said Aleksey Knyazev, Director of the ECTC, Acting Dean of the Department of Chemistry at TSU.
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