Sarah Hartman

Sarah Hartman is CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellow focusing on responsible AI technology co-creation with agricultural stakeholders. Her work couples deep learning of agricultural models with stakeholder engagement. Sarah has a Doctorate of Environmental Science and Policy from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of Delaware.

Innovation title:

Does a farmer want AI? Co-designing a trusted AI agronomist

Abstract:

The responsible integration of disruptive AI-driven agritechnology is crucial for fostering a productive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural future amidst climate change. This project presents a use case of developing a trusted AI Agronomist. This envisioned solution combines sophisticated farm systems modelling with an appreciation of the challenges farmers face when considering uncertain future conditions. The AI-based technology solution will use a feed forward neural network to emulate dynamics of the Agricultural Production Simulator (APSIM), CSIRO’s premier agricultural crop model. The emulator facilitates rapid what-if scenario exploration under uncertain climate and weather extremes. This allows for scenario exploration of farming decisions that will impact crop yield under uncertain climate conditions. This emulator, when informed by human-centered design principles and stakeholder engagement, aims to create a novel, impactful climate-smart tool that communicates crop growth and its uncertainties effectively and rapidly, and in a way tailored to farmer challenges, bridging the gap between research and practical application for farmers. This also aims to prioritise Australia’s responsible AI vision in AI technology development via responsible solution co-creation with stakeholders. An integrated development approach aims to ensure these tools are responsible, accessible, and adoptable for real-world applications, thereby supporting goals to achieve sustainable and resilient food systems amidst climate change.