Meghavi Prashnani, a senior faculty specialist at GEOG, participated in the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit 2023 held from Dec. 12 to 14, in New Delhi, India.
The summit convened experts from diverse sectors to deliberate on the advancement and application of AI, grounded in shared principles. Discussions revolved around pivotal topics such as responsible AI, data governance, the evolving landscape of work, and fostering innovation and commercialization.
As a representative of NASA Harvest, Prashnani spoke at a session titled "AI and Sustainable Agriculture," underscoring the significance of AI in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and ensuring global food security. The Session focused on how AI can be harnessed to:
- Optimize agricultural practices: Utilizing precision farming techniques to enhance crop yields, minimize water and fertilizer usage, and empower farmers with data-driven decision-making.
- Enhance climate resilience: AI-powered tools can predict weather patterns, aid in developing resilient crop varieties, and inform adaptation strategies to mitigate climate change risks in agriculture.
- Strengthen the supply chain: AI solutions can improve food traceability, reduce waste, and establish fairer distribution systems across the agricultural supply chain.
- Building Farmer Capacity with AI-powered Interactions: AI significantly narrows the gap between farmers and agricultural experts by enabling interactions in various languages. A successful example of this is "Bhashini," an AI-driven initiative that could facilitate real-time, language-inclusive interactions. This platform allows farmers to directly engage with experts, receiving guidance and insights in a language they understand. This democratizes access to vital information, enabling farmers to adopt best practices, stay informed about market trends, and make better decisions.
The panel also dicussed the imperative of responsible data utilization, ethical considerations, and efforts to bolster capacity-building, particularly for smallholder farmers, to ensure equitable benefits. The session concluded with a call for international collaboration and the establishment of open-source data platforms to drive innovation in this critical domain
The summit served as a platform for fostering international collaboration and showcasing progress on key initiatives. Key outcomes included reinforced international cooperation, advancements in developing guidelines and recommendations for specific GPAI focus areas, and recognition of India's leadership in promoting responsible AI development on a global scale.
Main image: Prashnani speaks at the panel "AI and Sustainable Agriculture."
All photos provided by Prashnani