Artificial intelligence saves water and electricity, and boosts profits

OPINION – Every day, I see a remarkable new technology at work. Our company’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software provides stunningly accurate weather data to farmers, energy companies, and landowners, helping them use less water, electricity, and fertilizer. Thanks to AI, they are reducing costs and actually generating more revenue, and in doing so, they save natural resources, leave more water for more farmers and factories, and help us meet the challenges of climate change.

I know firsthand how AI can be a source of resilience and optimism. Unfortunately, it seems that media stories focus only on AI’s risks, not its power to solve problems and improve society. I’m worried that this negative attention could lead more people to fear AI or government overregulation, limiting AI’s tremendous positive potential.

There’s so much about AI that is misunderstood. “Artificial intelligence” sounds daunting, but AI is just special software doing rapid-fire, high-volume computations to produce predictive data–which people could do but it would require weeks or months using traditional software.  AI doesn’t replace human thought or decision-making; it simply accelerates those processes by applying massive computing power using algorithms people design. We also need to remember that AI has been around for nearly 50 years, doing things like helping medical researchers uncover valuable information and patterns hidden within massive data sets.

My work is an example of AI’s hopeful, practical power that rarely makes headlines. Our six-person team provides highly accurate micro-location forecasts to farmers, vintners, and other operators of valuable weather-sensitive assets such as wind turbines and solar farms. Using on-site sensors, we collect and process vast amounts of National Weather Service data, then use AI-based algorithms to produce super-local “personalized” forecasts for clients across the U.S., Europe, and South America.

AI doesn’t replace human thought or decision-making; it simply accelerates those processes by applying massive computing power using algorithms people design.

These hyper-local forecasts help clients save money and resources. A farmer who knows it will definitely rain on a given day can skip watering hundreds of acres of crops, saving thousands of gallons of precious water and lots of money. Knowing that heavy rain is coming, the farmer will also wait to put down seed, pesticides, or fertilizer.  Some clients have reduced water and fertilizer usage by 25%, and others have improved crop yields by 50 to 100%. And with aquifers across the country at historic lows, the world benefits every time a farmer or winery uses less water.

Likewise, we all know that wildfires are increasing at an alarming rate. Canadian wildfires seemed to burn all summer. With our predictive wind and weather data, landowners can plan smart controlled burns that help reduce the risk of major forest fires. If more landowners and government agencies take a similar approach and execute more controlled burns, fewer wildfires will threaten homes and lives and produce harmful smoke that keeps people locked indoors hundreds of miles away.

No matter how many “doom and gloom” AI stories are published, I’m always surprised–because they’re so different from the more hopeful stories I know and live. If elected officials overreact and hastily limit AI’s promise, it could become harder for AI-powered companies to help farmers and landowners save water, conserve natural resources, reduce wildfire risk, and make more money.

The combination of financial and environmental benefits is powerful – for our economy and the earth. AI is a powerful tool for good, and there are so many opportunities that we’re still unaware of. As lawmakers consider regulations to limit AI risk, I hope they will include small companies in the conversation and also consider an even greater risk: limiting our ability to use AI to improve the future.

Carlos Gaitan is CEO and Co-founder of San Diego, CA-based Benchmark Labs