Can AI replace coffee farmers and trainers?

"The best approach isn’t AI vs. Farming, but AI + Farming. Farmers who learn how to use AI for better crop management, resource efficiency, and market predictions will have a huge advantage" ChatGPT said.

The dynamics of social change that we are witnessing are based, among other things, on the development of AI technology. It no longer surprises us; it has become part of our everyday life, sometimes as a funny viral, sometimes as an optimization of our work, or as a cause of job losses.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who is known for his clear and influential opinions, stated that coding is no longer a viable career for the young generation who might want to venture into tech with the rapid growth and adoption of AI across every sector. Huang recommended that they should lean more toward biology, education, manufacturing, or farming instead.

Nvidia is one of the key companies in the development of artificial intelligence, especially since it created CUDA, a computing platform that has made it easier for developers to create complex programs. So his opinion comes from the source of the social change we are witnessing. And he is telling us to wake up because the role of AI has already increased so much that it is no longer worth studying to become a programmer—it will code itself. Scary, but also fascinating. 

At the same time, Huang emphasized the value of specialized knowledge, which will give you an advantage in the labor market. Artificial intelligence will need human specialists with unique knowledge and passion to integrate AI tools, increase capabilities, and drive innovation in specialized areas. 

It is hard to deny that we are needed and significant in the world on which we will base AI technology. We must not only be able to adapt but also learn continuously. AI can help us with this because it also has its purpose in this.

As a fun exercise, I asked Chat-GPT what it thought about the impact of AI, itself, on coffee farming. It promises to help us develop precision farming and smart agriculture. AI lists drones and sensors based on AI that monitor soil conditions and other crop conditions, support irrigation, fertilizer or pesticide use, and detect potential pest infestations, plant diseases such as coffee leaf rust, or the “harvest window.” AI wants to be increasingly useful in planning yields, but also in mitigating the damage caused by climate change. This also applies to processing—in the automation of harvesting, sorting of crops, detection of defects, and even... tasting and quality assessment. These are also a number of potential ways to optimize the supply chain. 

I gave this article to Chat-GPT to read. This is how it imagines coffee farming with the help of artificial intelligence. Made in the anime style of Studio Ghibli, in a measly few seconds of AI generation, instead of hours of creative work by illustrators.

It also intends to continue revolutionizing the way we learn about coffee. It already offers virtual AI trainers and assistants, diagnostic and support applications such as Plantix and Demetria, e-learning platforms and augmented reality (AR), analytical tools, as well as translation tools that break down barriers. We already use many of them here at Red Ink Coffee, as if they had always been available. 

I also like the perversity of OpenAI technology. It says to me, “Imagine an AI-assisted Q Grader Exam in which AI assesses the accuracy and consistency of taste for aspiring coffee professionals.” CQI, I guess chat has a task for you!

“AI won’t replace human expertise in coffee education, but it can enhance learning, make knowledge more accessible, and provide real-time guidance.”

AI itself seems to look humbly to the future of working with coffee—its agriculture, processing, and education. It admits that it is getting better and better at analyzing coffee quality, but it will never fully replace the human experience of coffee tasting. 

AI can predict flavor notes, defects, and quality more accurately than humans, eliminating biases and ensuring higher consistency.

However, it emphasizes that it cannot replace the influence of the human palate and tasting experience because while it can detect chemical compounds, the perception of taste is subjective and also depends on culture, experience, preferences, and many other factors. “Coffee tasting is art,” says ChatGPT. It does not consider itself (yet?) to be as creative and innovative as “Top baristas and roasters experimenting with new roasts, blends, and brewing techniques” and is not able to imitate this itself. It also does not feel strong in discovering new trends.

"Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can improve coffee quality control and help tasters make better decisions—but it cannot replace the craftsmanship, intuition, and cultural depth of human coffee tasting. AI can analyze data, but it cannot replace interpersonal relationships in coffee culture,” it concludes.

It seems that AI will indeed face technological obstacles in eliminating the need for humans to produce food. But don’t you think we are closer than ever to realizing futuristic visions straight out of sci-fi movies, in which robots take care of growing and processing coffee, and people carefree spend a stress-free life just sipping delicious coffee?

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