Joanna Guza:
Thanks for joining us again on Farm Food Facts. I'm your host, Joanna Guza, and today we're talking with Olga Bolden Tiller. She's the dean for the College of Agriculture Environment and Nutrition Sciences at Tuskegee University. She was also a panelist at the Honor the Harvest Forum held in Roston, Texas. Today our conversation is gonna talk about artificial intelligence and how universities are preparing students for the future of artificial intelligence. And then at the end of the interview, we're gonna get some insight from Olga sharing her perspective on future careers in agriculture. Well, Olga, it is great to hear that universities are implementing artificial intelligence or AI into their curriculum. Can you share what Tuskegee University is doing to educate students on artificial intelligence?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
So at Tuskegee University, we are so excited because we are a part of one of the artificial intelligence institutes that was actually established in 2020 with funding from the USDA and National Science Foundation. And so we're one of about 12 partnering organizations that's a part of one of those institutes. It's actually led by the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. But at Tuskegee University we are collaborating with them as one of those partnering institutions. And while they're looking at agriculture and looking at how we can create opportunities to optimize labor around livestock, looking at ways that we can improve soil health crops, et cetera, in the Midwest, we have a micro site at Tuskegee University down in Alabama doing the exact same thing.

Joanna Guza:
Can you walk me through like, I mean this is such a new concept that I feel like we're like the Guinea pigs talking about this right now. Can you walk me through like what are some of these courses gonna look like? Uh, how, how much availability is there for students?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
Well, you know, with artificial intelligence and everybody thinks that they are professional artificial intelligence person with chat GPT, but chat GPT really just, you know, is the tip of the iceberg at best. As a matter of fact, a lot of money has been put toward research and artificial intelligence because the country knows just how important it is. But in fact, we're having to catch up on the education side. Um, we've been pushing STEM and computer sciences, which are all tools that you need to understand and utilize artificial intelligence, but we really haven't educated students in what artificial intelligence really means. And so we're excited as a part of our AI institute that we have the opportunity to not only educate students at the college level, we also are impacting the K 12 level where we have programming for K 12 educators so that they can start to introduce artificial intelligence and computer science applications in the classroom.

And then we're also creating courses at the college level where students are utilizing artificial intelligence, not just learning theory, but the exciting thing for us as a AI farms, as we're known as, is that we get a chance to utilize artificial intelligence to address agricultural questions. And so we're really excited about that opportunity and again, around livestock optimization, crop enhancement, soil health, and so, so many things that we can do. And most importantly, not just learning about that science but transferring that information to the producer so that it can be impactful for them in their operations, both small operations, midsize as well as large operations.

Joanna Guza:
So you say agricultural questions, you gave some broad topics. Can you give a specific example of how artificial intelligence can be used in those areas?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
Absolutely. Well, I'm an animal scientist, so I'm gonna talk about it from an animal science standpoint. But what's really exciting for us as animal scientists, we know that when we have animals out in the paddocks out in the field, and even animals that are housed in operations such as that, you know, it's hard to be able to have an eye on every animal, you know. And so with artificial intelligence, the work that we're doing, we actually can video these animals in their habitat, you know, whatever the operation may be. And there will be an algorithm, some computer science jargon that will then translate to a cell phone, to an iPad, wherever the producer may be, to say, Hey, this animal based on this behavior, is it exhibit? Is it exhibiting stress? Which is very important as a person who's had to climb fences and go heat check twice a day.

And so to be able to be, you know, in your home when it's snowing outside or when it's too hot and know that your animal is in heat, so important not only artificial intelligence but artificial insemination. Um, you know, whenever we have livestock, so if the animals may have a health issue, so one gets lame, you don't have to wait and wonder and go find it in the field. Not only can you track it in the field, you also can know by the artificial intelligence information that's coming in that's something is wrong with this animal health wise. So we can get some service to it right away.

Joanna Guza:
I know some of the dialogue around the challenges with artificial intelligence is it's not always right. And I would like you to speak upon that, why it's not right. And maybe some other challenges in the educational sphere that we might face with artificial intelligence.

Olga Bolden Tiller:
Well, the reality is artificial intelligence is only as smart as our intelligence . And so what happens with artificial intelligence, it actually learns and we think about it as machine learning, it learns from the inputs that we place into it. So that's why it's so important for us to educate our young people so that they can understand how this technology works so that they can put in proper and correct input so that we can make the artificial intelligence smarter. And that we don't wanna make it smarter than we are, but we definitely wanna make it smarter by putting in these inputs. And you know, some of the challenges around that are related to also costs. But the great thing about having this machine learning is that we can train these machines such that they can be cost effective. And so things that machines that used to cost cost a million dollars, like huge combines do, then we actually have the opportunity to create smaller models that may cost 30 or 40,000 that can still cover huge acreage.

Joanna Guza:
That's huge. That's a real and a lot of opportunity then in that area. One other piece that I've heard people talk about is monetizing some of that information that they're getting from those sensors. What's your take on that in the future of it?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
So the reality is, as I talk about, you know, artificial intelligence is only as smart as the inputs. And for that we need data, we need data sets, and data is not free. And so because of these agricultural inputs that are needed, we need data from producers, but their data is valuable. And so we must find ways to pay the farmers not only on the backside once the technology is perfected, but also for their data sets on the front side, because we do have to work together to win. And the more data we have, the smarter these agricultural tools can be so that we can help our production overall.

Joanna Guza:
Olga, you kind of gave me goosebumps when you said that data is valuable. So maybe a farm that's, you know, already kind of involved, they have all these sensors put in place, they're gonna start working with someone. What things should they be considering to be just careful that their data isn't getting into the wrong hands?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
You know, at the end of the day when we think about food and land, you know, it's also about trust. And so we have to work with individuals that we know we can trust, like land grant institutions, partners of land grant institutions, because those institutions were put forth to benefit the common man. Not only to educate them, but also to provide outreach and extension. And so questions that we want to depend on or work with our land grant institutions to consider are what is the cost that is going to cost me? Is this long term? You know, you have to think about those types of things. If I have to get into a contract, is there a linear profitability for me? You know, and it's just like when, you know, you start up a small company with an IPO or something like that, and you want shares, you know, what's my share and what's my cost? And so to really understand that. And then also, you know, you're measuring things like fertilizer needs, soil in, in your soil, um, water, et cetera. So what are the other inputs that I can get once we are able to utilize the data to, to realize that I may have some needs for my operation. And so those are some of the different questions, but really getting with an individual like Alan or institution that you trust to make sure that you ask the questions that's right for you.

Joanna Guza:
At Honor the Harvest, you were a panelist talking about the future of careers in agriculture. Can you kind of recap some of the conversations that were had on the panel and, and your perspective on the future of agriculture?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
I think the future of agriculture is bright. I always say it goes back to food. So we're going to have to eat. And the the reality is, and you see it with young kids when they first taste some things, I have a, a new nephew, he's just turning one. So my sister's introducing all of the different new foods into his palate. And so you see him dancing around, right? And so you always think about that, and I think some of us adults, we taste something good and we also dance around, but your happy place is usually centered around some food, food experience or where food was involved. And because of that, we say, and we know that in order to bring in agriculturalists of all at all different levels that need to be a part of the solutions that we have to feed the world, we know that food is the gateway. And so that's one of the things that we as panelists settled on today, is that, you know, we can reach everyone by starting with food and the need to eat. And then we can segue into what are my passions, what are my skills? Because everything is agriculture at the end of the day, and the whole purpose of agriculture is for food. And so how do we allow people to connect what their passions are with agriculture and being a part of our food system?

Joanna Guza:
And what do the future careers in agriculture look like?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
I was talking to a young lady yesterday and it was so exciting and this, I, I mentioned it on the panel that she was, she's like this math expert and she's from Iowa, never pictured herself in agriculture at all whatsoever, passionate about land, passionate about the environment, and just trying to understand, you know, what she wanted to be when she grew up. And she had the opportunity just to do some project in a class, in a math class about the environment. And someone introduced her that, you know, this is ag economics. And so I think that these opportunities for young people are so exciting and so we get the chance to just allow them to make that connection.

Joanna Guza:
Last question for you, someone that might be listening to this podcast that didn't grow up on a farm might be considering agriculture as a career. What would you say to them, or do you have any success stories of students that you worked with that didn't grow up in agriculture that now have a successful career in agriculture?

Olga Bolden Tiller:
You know, I'm gonna talk about myself. How about that?  So I consider myself an accidental agriculturalist because in fact, I did not grow up on a farm as an African American. Of course I have ancestry associated with the farm. My great-grandmother definitely, you know, had her own farm operation with our family. Um, but that was more of a subsistence kind of operation, you know, it's something that my family did for pleasure, but not really thinking about an ag career directly. But my mother was an FFA teacher, a home economics teacher. So then I think back I'm like, well, I was always connected to agriculture, but myself, I was very interested in basic science, basic research, and that's what I wanted to do. I had the opportunity as a high school student to participate in an agriculture summer program where I got to do research.

I wanted to be a scientist, but it was with an animal scientist. And I was just availed of all of the great career opportunities, uh, that I could do as a scientist. And as I completed my undergraduate degree and went into a PhD program first starting at Fort Valley as a land grant and then University of Missouri Columbia as a land grant, understanding the importance of having scientists in the field to study agriculture and that yes, it's important that we produce food, but there's so much technology and so much, so many advances that we have made, you know, through our land grant system and that we can continue to make that's so important, not only for our food security here in the US but also globally and how important that is that we've been so blessed here in the United States to be so lucky, to be so successful producing food and how we can be impactful around the world.

Joanna Guza:
Well, Olga, congratulations on your career and being an accidental agriculturalist. I love that. So thank you for your time.

Olga Bolden Tiller:
Oh, thank you so much for the opportunity.

Joanna Guza:
If you enjoy listening to Farm Food Facts, make sure you subscribe and rate us. We greatly appreciate that. Also, if there's a topic that you'd like to hear, you can email me at podcast@usfraonline.org. Until next time, I'm Joanna Guza for Farm Food Facts.