Podcast
How AI for Agriculture Can Outsmart Volatility
The S2G Podcast • Ep. 44
How AI for Agriculture Can Outsmart Volatility
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Food prices keep climbing. Farmers are facing shrinking profit margins. Can AI really fix both, or is it just another Silicon Valley hype cycle? With all the talk about an “AI bubble,” we bring you a conversation about how AI is already shaping farm viability today and what it could mean for your grocery bill tomorrow.
In this episode, Chuck Templeton sits down with Shail Khiyara, CEO of decision-intelligence company SWARM, and Adam Greenberg, CEO of greenhouse OS provider IUNU, to unpack how AI is being used today across fields, greenhouses, and supply chains. They dig into how digital twins, sensors, and machine vision can turn volatility into an advantage, cut waste, and boost margins for growers while helping keep food more affordable for consumers.
They discuss what it really takes to drive AI adoption in a sector built on thin margins and healthy skepticism, and how partnerships and long-term purchase agreements could reshape the economics of fresh, local food. Whether you’re an AI superfan or a skeptic, an ag insider, or just someone worried about your grocery bill, this conversation offers a grounded look at what a smarter, continuously learning food system might actually look like in practice.
Key Takeaways
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Both guests emphasize that growers don’t want buzzwords. They want outcomes. Trust, proof in the field, and real ROI, not AI for AI’s sake, are what ultimately drive adoption.
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Shail describes a future where infrastructure itself learns, with mills, plants, ports, and farms optimizing in real-time as intelligence moves from the cloud to the edge.
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As models learn and become more precise, decision intelligence becomes accessible to smaller farms, helping to boost margins, reduce waste, and support more local, resilient operations.
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Adam highlights that farmers don’t need perfect data or a massive system overhaul to get started. AI delivers the most value when it starts learning early. As Adam puts it, “the beginning of time for your AI is the day you turn it on,” so the sooner you start, the faster it compounds your experience.
