Marijuana Business Magazine January 2020

January 2020 | mjbizdaily.com 65 By Laura Drotleff Growth Intelligent Cannabis producers are using artificial intelligence to cut costs, improve crop quality and yield and handle inventory T echnology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly evolved in traditional indoor agricultural production systems in recent years, as companies have seen the need for growers to use the vast amounts of data produced in their operations to make better production and manage- ment decisions. Now, indoor cannabis growers are jumping on the AI bandwag- on to crunch key data so they can lower costs and fine-tune everything from irrigation and humidity to inventory management. Large, publicly traded cannabis companies, in particular, have been rapidly putting these systems to work as a secret weapon in the fast-moving, highly competitive market, according to Adam Greenberg, CEO of Seattle-based computer vision company iUNU, which specializes in building horticultural pro- duction platforms. “The growers and operators that are comfortable with learning and continu- ous improvement have been champions for machine learning and computer vision platforms,” Greenberg said. But as technology advances and scales, and more providers offer new technology solutions, experts believe there will be more opportunities for smaller operators to access AI-enabled platforms. “We’re trying to democratize knowl- edge to make sure that whatever the big guys can do with their deep pockets can be replicated on a platform for the bene- fit of anybody,” said Darryn Keiller, CEO of Autogrow, a controlled-environment automation company based in Auckland, New Zealand. Outdoor agriculture companies have used artificial intelligence (AI) to gather data about field crops for years, using that data to replicate inputs and create consistency. Now, some of the largest cannabis companies have adopted the technology. Cultivators are using AI to: • Reduce inconsistencies that can result in 10%-25% crop loss each season. • Maintain intellectual property related to growing conditions despite employee turnover. • Virtually monitor crops for evidence of mildew and pests. • Track plant growth and change growing conditions based on desired outcomes. • Forecast yields to plan labor and packaging accordingly.