Panel on AI in industry hosted by Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Artificial intelligence technology is rapidly advancing, and changing the way businesses operate. While some companies have been slow to embrace this technology, industry leaders from across Saskatchewan recently gathered to discuss its safe implementation.

According to Terry Peckham from the Digital Innovation Centre at Sask. Polytech, the learning curve for AI is steep but necessary. “We are into an area where forever we’re going to be learning as things progress. They’re progressing at a faster pace, and that learning is going to accelerate,” said Peckham.

One area where AI is showing significant promise is in agriculture. Tom Wolfe, an agriculture consultant, highlighted a new AI technology. “We have see-and-spray sprayers. We have green-on-green detection algorithms that can distinguish weeds from their crops and different weeds from each other. Then implement in real time a decision on whether to spray that plant,” Wolfe said.

Other applications of AI can be found in mining exploration, where Shihong Tan, VP of Technology at BHP North America, mentioned using AI to analyze survey data, to help find sites to dig. “We could just look at all the information out there collected over the decades and understand, and make some really interesting insights,” said Tan.

Despite its potential, industry leaders approach AI with caution, recognizing the risk of becoming overly reliant on the technology. “The downside to a revolutionary new technology is becoming lazy. Like someone said on the panel today, we’re inherently lazy. So we’re going to want to implement this, and we lose skills,” said Wolfe.

To meet the demand for AI literacy, institutions like Sask. Polytech are focusing on training students to use AI tools effectively. As AI continues to evolve, its impact on industries and education will only expand with careful implementation and ongoing education.