Generative AI and chatbot-based advisory: The next frontier in agricultural extension delivery

Abstract

Agricultural extension programs have been utilized by farmers, particularly smallholder farmers, for a considerable amount of time in order to acquire knowledge regarding climate-smart methods, new seed types, pest control and best practices. However, typical extension methods can often be problematic, such as not being able to reach a sufficient number of people, being prohibitively expensive and requiring an excessive amount of time. Recent developments in artificial intelligence, most notably generative AI and enormous language models, have led to the creation of new kinds of advisory tools that make use of chatbots. Farmers are able to communicate with these systems in their native language, which is often their local dialect. They are also able to get individualized guidance around the clock and make use of a significant amount of data, which includes weather, soil and market pricing, in real time. Several preliminary pilot studies in various regions of the world, including African smallholder programs and Indian government efforts, have indicated that artificial intelligence chatbots have the potential to assist a greater number of individuals in obtaining assistance, simplify the process of adopting new ways and save costs. Over the course of time, this review article discusses the evolution of extension and conversational artificial intelligence. In addition to this, it discusses important technologies like as LLMs, multimodal inputs and retrieval-augmented generation and it provides examples of chatbot advisers that have been developed and implemented