Posts Tagged: Artificial intelligence

Lawn-pocalypse! Surviving Drought

Ah, summer! The season of sunburns, pool parties, and… lawn droughts. If your once lush, green carpet now looks like a crunchy brown doormat, you're not alone. Let's dive into why your yard is staging a dramatic death scene and what you can do to...

Bermuda grass and weeds overtaking drought stressed turf grass.

A patch of former lawn, mostly dead, with a few green weeds and Bermudagrass

UC ANR guidelines for using AI tools in the workplace

With technology advancements such as ChatGPT, Google Bard and other artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms, there's growing enthusiasm within our community to leverage these tools and integrate them into the university context. The following advisory provides guidance on how to use these tools safely, without putting institutional, personal or proprietary information at risk. Additional guidance may be forthcoming as circumstances evolve.

UC ANR recognizes the potential for AI technologies to perpetuate biases and inequalities if not implemented and monitored carefully. Therefore, all AI systems and algorithms used within the university must undergo thorough scrutiny for bias and fairness throughout their development, deployment and ongoing usage.

Implementing AI in our Workplace

If you are looking to implement a new AI tool or process, please review the following guidelines and review the Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence Report, then contact Bethanie Brown at brbbrown@ucanr.edu and Jaki Hsieh Wojan at jhsiehw@ucanr.edu. 

HR and IT will conduct a thorough assessment of the information security, employee and labor relations implications associated with the selected AI tools. They will provide you with support and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of these tools.

AI Training  

A thorough training on the use of AI is required for all employees leveraging AI tools in the workplace. UC Berkeley has made their AI Essentials training publicly available and is highly recommended. Other training programs may be available for use, please contact UC ANR Human Resources at humanresources@ucanr.edu for additional information.

Prohibited Use

• AI tools may not be utilized in situations where they impact an employee's personal information, health and safety or conditions of employment, unless otherwise specified by policy or law.
• Any use of ChatGPT should be with the assumption that no personal, confidential, proprietary or otherwise sensitive information may be used with it. Information classified as Protection Level P2, P3, or P4 should not be used. 
• Similarly, ChatGPT or other public AI tools should not be used to generate output that would be considered non-public. Examples include, but are not limited to, proprietary or unpublished research; legal analysis or advice; recruitment, personnel or disciplinary decision making; completion of academic work in a manner not allowed by the instructor; creation of non-public instructional materials; and grading. 
• Please also note that OpenAI explicitly forbids the use of ChatGPT and their other products for certain categories of activity, including fraud and illegal activities. This list of items can be found in their usage policy document.

Precautions

• Ethics

It is imperative to prioritize the well-being and rights of employees by ensuring human oversight and accountability. The use of AI to make high-stakes decisions or penalize employees should be avoided. In addition to the consideration of the ethical implications, clear processes, procedures and standards and potentially union notifications must first be put in place prior to leveraging AI that impacts an employee's conditions of employment.

• Scams

Be wary of fake websites attempting to mask as popular AI apps. This article shares how to tell ChatGPT scams apart from the real ChatGPT website (link is external).

• Errors and “Hallucinations”

When using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard and similar technologies for business purposes, be vigilant about "hallucinations" — moments when the AI generates unverified or incorrect information. Always cross-check the tool's output for accuracy before incorporating it into university-related tasks. While generative AI is potent, it can occasionally produce false or misleading content. Ensure all facts and figures generated by these tools are independently verified through non-AI sources before use. In other words, don't simply copy and paste what is produced into your work. 

• Bias

When using Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, it's important to recognize that the datasets used to train the models may be trained on incomplete or biased data. Implicit and systemic biases can inadvertently be built into AI systems. Such biases run counter to UC ANR's institutional values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Therefore, using outputs in a way that amplifies these biases can be contrary to our shared institutional values. 

• Illegal Content

Data sets used to train AI, and the resulting models, can also contain illegal content. It is important to be aware of what data sets contain and to avoid storing illegal content on UC systems, even inadvertently. Register data sets you are using with HR and IT, and be sure to notify immediately both units if you find or become aware of illegal content. 

Potential Opportunities for Use

Publicly available information (Protection Level P1) can be used freely in ChatGPT. In all cases, use should be consistent with the UC ANR Principles of Community. Areas to consider the use of AI:

• Promotional Materials, Image and Video Production
  Automate the creation of promotional material. Edit and create images, as well as voiceover tracks for videos, to elevate your media production.
• Coding and Web Development
  Draft code for common programming tasks, accelerating the development process.
• Job Descriptions and Postings
  Use templates to suggest customized language for position overviews, key responsibilities and qualifications. Review the language to ensure it is free from unintended biases as biased wording may discourage certain groups from applying, potentially impacting the diversity of the applicant pool.
• Training and Onboarding
  Develop training materials and FAQs for new tools and automate responses to common questions during staff training sessions.
• Website and Communications Content
  Edit text for clarity and grammar, suggest optimal layouts, headlines and meta descriptions, and draft content for course listings, prerequisites or institutional information.

References

• Educator considerations for ChatGPT
• OpenAI sharing & publication policy
• OpenAI usage policies
• OpenAI privacy policy
• OpenAI terms & policies
• UCLA: Data Protection Guidance
• UCB: Appropriate use of AI Tools
• UCSD: Using AI Tools in Administration

AI and sustainable farming focus of May 7 workshop with UC, partners

On May 7, scientists from University of California, Riverside, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Colorado State University Extension, Kansas State University, University of Arizona, Central Arizona Project, and USDA-Agricultural Research Service will gather with growers in Palm Desert to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used in agriculture.

“Artificial intelligence can be used by farmers to save water, improve fertilizer efficiency and increase productivity,” said Khaled Bali, UC Cooperative Extension irrigation water management specialist and organizer of the workshop. “At this workshop, growers will hear about the latest research on AI technology for agriculture and about the experiences of growers who are already testing it in their fields.”

Speakers and topics will include:

• Raj Khosla, Kansas State University - AI for precision nitrogen and water management in row crops
• Michael Cahn, UC Cooperative Extension - CropManage decision support tool for irrigation and nutrient management
• Daniele Zaccaria, UC Cooperative Extension - Citrus crop water use and open ET in the low desert of California
• Nan Li, UC Riverside - Estimating soil moisture using remote-sensing and land surface parameters in the Central Valley of California.
• Ali Montazar, UC Cooperative Extension - Promises and pitfalls of drip irrigation in desert cropping systems
• Khaled Bali, UC Cooperative Extension - Deficit irrigation strategies for alfalfa in California
• Philip Waisen, UC Cooperative Extension - Environmentally conscious practices for managing soilborne diseases in low desert vegetable production
• Peter Moller, Rubicon Water - On-farm water conservation projects: surface irrigation
• Ronnie Leimgruber, Imperial Valley grower - On-farm water conservation projects: linear move, basin and subsurface drip irrigation
• Rick Benson, Imperial Valley grower - Alternative cropping systems for the low desert region of California: olives and other crops

The workshop will be held at the UCR Palm Desert Center at 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive in Palm Desertfrom 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 7. It costs $30 per person and includes lunch. Register at https://bit.ly/AImay7.

 

Climate-Change Resources

University of California UC ANR Green Blog (Climate Change and Other Topics) https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green/index.cfm?tagname=climate%20change (full index)

Examples:

     -  Save Trees First: Tips to Keep Them Alive Under Drought https://ucanr.edu/b/~CdD 

     - Landscaping with Fire Exposure in Mind: https://ucanr.edu/b/~G4D

     - Cities in California Inland Areas Must Make Street Tree Changes to adapt to Future Climate  https://ucanr.edu/b/~oF7

Drought, Climate Change and California Water Management Ted Grantham, UC Cooperative Extension specialist (23 minutes) https://youtu.be/dlimj75Wn9Q

Climate Variability and Change: Trends and Impacts on CA Agriculture Tapan Pathak, UC Cooperative Extension specialist (24 minutes) https://youtu.be/bIHI0yqqQJc

California Institute for Water Resources (links to blogs, talks, podcasts, water experts, etc.) https://ciwr.ucanr.edu/California_Drought_Expertise/

UC ANR Wildfire Resources (publications, videos, etc.) https://ucanr.edu/News/For_the_media/Press_kits/Wildfire/ (main website)

      -UC ANR Fire Resources and Information https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/ (main website)

            -Preparing Home Landscaping https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Prepare/Landscaping/

UC ANR Free Publications https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/ (main website)

- Benefits of Plants to Humans and Urban Ecosystems: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8726.pdf

 -Keeping Plants Alive Under Drought and Water Restrictions (English version) https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8553.pdf

  (Spanish version) https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8628.pdf

-  Use of Graywater in Urban Landscapes https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8536.pdf

-  Sustainable Landscaping in California https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8504.pdf

 

Other (Non-UC) Climate Change Resources

Urban Forests and Climate Change. Urban forests play an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Active stewardship of a community's forestry assets can strengthen local resilience to climate change while creating more sustainable and desirable places to live. https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/urban-forests

Examining the Viability of Planting Trees to Mitigate Climate Change (plausible at the forest level) https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2927/examining-the-viability-of-planting-trees-to-help-mitigate-climate-change/

Reports and other information resources coordinated under the auspices of the United Nations and produced through the collaboration of thousands of international scientists to provide a clear and up to date view of the current state of scientific knowledge relevant to climate change. United Nations Climate Action

Scientific reports, programs, action movements and events related to climate change. National Center for Atmospheric Research (National Science Foundation)

Find useful reports, program information and other documents resulting from federally funded research and development into the behavior of the atmosphere and related physical, biological and social systems. Search and find climate data from prehistory through to an hour ago in the world's largest climate data archive. (Formerly the "Climatic Data Center") National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA)

Think tank providing information, analysis, policy and solution development for addressing climate change and energy issues (formerly known as the: "Pew Center on Global Climate Change"). Center for Climate & Energy Solutions (C2ES)

Mapping Resilience: A Blueprint for Thriving in the Face of Climate Disaster. The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) was launched in July 2010 and is managed by EcoAdapt, a non-profit with a singular mission: to create a robust future in the face of climate change by bringing together diverse players to reshape planning and management in response to rapid climate change. https://www.cakex.org/documents/mapping-resilience-blueprint-thriving-face-climate-disaster

Cal-Adapt provides a way to explore peer-reviewed data that portrays how climate change might affect California at the state and local level. We make this data available through downloads, visualizations, and the Cal-Adapt API for your research, outreach, and adaptation planning needs. Cal-Adapt is a collaboration between state agency funding programs, university and private sector researchers https://cal-adapt.org/

Find reports, maps, data and other resources produced through a confederation of the research arms of 13 Federal departments and agencies that carry out research and develop and maintain capabilities that support the Nation's response to global change. Global Change (U.S. Global Change Research Program)

The Pacific Institute is a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts to develop sustainable water policies. https://pacinst.org/our-approach/

Making equity real in climate adaptation and community resilience policies and programs: a guidebook. https://greenlining.org/publications/2019/making-equity-real-in-climate-adaption-and-community-resilience-policies-and-programs-a-guidebook/ 

Quarterly CA Climate Updates and CA Drought Monitor Maps (updated each Thursday) https://www.drought.gov/documents/quarterly-climate-impacts-and-outlook-western-region-june-2022

 

 

 

 

Growers invited to take indoor farming survey

Researchers seek insight on emerging controlled environment agriculture trends

Greenhouse operators are encouraged to participate in the 2023 State of Controlled Environment Agriculture survey. IUNU, a technology company that specializes in AI and computer vision solutions for the agriculture industry, and the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources are conducting the survey to gain insights on emerging trends and challenges to share with the controlled environment agriculture industry.

The survey takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. All growers using CEA – greenhouse, high tunnel or indoor – are invited to participate. All data collected is confidential and shared only as anonymous trends. No identifying information is ever shared. Growers who participate will get early access to the survey results report and will get access to an exclusive webinar to discuss the results with the authors of the report. 

The fourth State of CEA Survey can be completed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FVXJSY9.

The report, first released in 2016, was formerly titled “State of Indoor Farming” and managed by Artemis, which was acquired by IUNU in 2021.

This year, IUNU has expanded the survey to include the different leading segments of the controlled environment agriculture industry: greenhouse fruit and vegetable, and greenhouse ornamental production.

UC ANR's VINE agrifood technology innovation program, Global Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium (GCEAC), and UC Davis-led AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS) are collaborating on the report.

“An industry-led, market-driven approach to guiding innovation priorities and investments is critical as we consider the future of indoor farming,” said Gabe Youtsey, UC ANR chief innovation officer and co-founder of The VINE. “I'm thrilled to partner with IUNU on the development of this State of CEA report with our UC innovation teams from The VINE, GCEAC and AIFS to create a robust state of CEA report that will guide our CEA open innovation priorities this year.”

Since the survey launched in 2016, more than 500 growers have participated in the survey and more than 2 million people have downloaded the report. The industry reports have become one of the most widely circulated and respected sources of industry data.

"This report is a trusted resource for the industry and we're thrilled to bring it back in an expanded capacity,” Allison Kopf, IUNU chief growth officer, said. “Over the past year, we've seen a swell of news around our industry. This report will go deeper into those stories and share data on how companies are performing, big market opportunities, and the real challenges growers are facing.”

Past CEA reports are available for download at https://artemisag.com/guides_reports. 

About IUNU

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Seattle, IUNU aims to close the loop in greenhouse autonomy and is focused on being the world's leading controlled environment specialist. IUNU's flagship platform LUNA combines software with a variety of high-definition cameras – both fixed and mobile – and environmental sensors to keep track of the minutiae of plant growth and health in indoor ag settings. LUNA's goal is to turn commercial greenhouses into precise, predictable, demand-based manufacturers that optimize yield, labor and product quality. www.IUNU.com

About The VINE by UC ANR

The VINE is California's agriculture, food and biotech innovation network powered by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. We believe that the state's continued prosperity rests on creation of more productive, sustainable and equitable food systems. Every day, we harness the power of open innovation to connect entrepreneurs to a broad network of public and private sector resources to enable them to grow and scale globally, build collaborations that catalyze the development of climate-smart technology-based solutions to solve industry challenges, and grow regional capacity to support global innovation as an economic opportunity – because our future, and the nation's, depends on it.

The Global Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium – an initiative of The VINE – seeks to build a worldwide ecosystem to bring technology to market that addresses global challenges in food, health and sustainability. GCEAC is an open innovation partnership between industry, university and government sectors in the United States and The Netherlands, led from California.

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