Farmers, researchers and industry experts weigh in on the possible benefits and limitations of using artificial intelligence in agriculture.

Kansas City

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

The adoption of artificial intelligence in agriculture is increasing, with farmers and experts noting significant improvements in efficiency and animal management. Technologies like virtual fencing, drones, and precision agriculture tools are helping farmers monitor livestock and crops, optimize yields, and reduce resource use. 

Despite these advancements, challenges persist, including limited internet access in rural areas, high initial costs, data security concerns, and skepticism among some farmers. Experts emphasize the need for continued human oversight and collaboration to ensure AI tools are effective and reliable, especially as conditions in agriculture can change rapidly.

Farmers and experts weigh in on benefits of AI in Ag

Jan Kim and I cover agriculture stories. The use of AI is growing in every sector of our lives, and this includes agriculture. I talked to a local farmer as well as experts to learn what kinds of tools are already available. We also talked about the benefits as well as limitations of AI. The goats will walk towards the barrier, they get that ascending tone. At the top of the scale, they'll get an electric shock. Margaret Chalmers was pleasantly shocked herself when her grazing goats quickly adapted to virtual fencing. It's very effective. She hopped over from physical fences in 2024. You can't see it, but it's there. The GPS fencing uses cell signals to communicate with these collars. She can watch and move her goats by drawing the parameters with her fingertips. It's a game changer, like the peace of mind of knowing where your animals are is a big one. The ability to start to identify one who's not feeling well because they're always lagging behind. To put the benefits into perspective, she finally took a vacation last year. The collar costs about $75 per goat per year, which Margaret says is totally worth it. I sleep a lot better at night. Researchers at Kansas State University say the use of precision agriculture boomed in the last 15 to 20 years. Almost 50% of the Kansas livestock and crop farmer, they are using the precision agriculture tools. Tools like drones, satellite imagery, autonomous tractors, and various digital systems for decision making. Sensors on these drones, for example, can measure soil moisture, identify weeds, diagnose the health of the plant, and take plant body temperature for irrigation planning. Main goal of the precision ag is to optimize the yield, crop yield, by minimizing the use of the input, like a fertilizer or irrigation or, you know, herbicide, pesticide. So it will help to save the labor, and also it will help to save the time as well. And as AI data becomes more dependable, Dr. Joshi believes farmers will eventually be able to trust more and fact-check less. It would help to make even more precise decision in our farm. Faster. Yeah, faster, yeah. Like most up-and-coming ideas, there are still limitations. Poor internet access in rural areas, initial cost of entry, data security concerns, and the education gap. Leanna Gurin with Bayer CropScience says another barrier has been hesitancy and doubt from farmers to give it a go. They want to be able to trust it, but they need to see it proven on their farm. And that's where we're really partnering together, where we conduct experiments with them. Can we trust what exists right now, and is it effective? What we might learn one year may not necessarily hold true the next year if the weather drastically changes, if commodity prices change, if there's a new disease pattern. But what we're finding is it's very important that we continue to have humans and have experts review the output, review the results, and also provide parameters to the inputs of these AI models. Back here on the StormDancer farm. I still think it's never gonna fully replace the physical fence. Margaret also worries about things like reliability and data security. Who owns the data? But as her business expands and the accuracy of AI homes in, she's excited about the possibilities. It really is improving animal management as well as the land management. Jian Kim, KSHB 41 News.

French President Emmanuel Macron has named loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protégé who rallied behind his 2017 presidential run, as prime minister. Analysts say France is in the midst of a complicated political crisis.

Paris

France's Macron names loyalist Lecornu as new PM

Videos circulating online reveal a luminous flying object hitting the vessel. No crew members were harmed. Activists part of the flotilla say they will not be deterred by the attack, and that their mission will continue as planned.

Middle East Conflict

Flotilla for Gaza ship struck by drone off Tunisia, organizers say

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the U.S. labor market added 911,000 fewer jobs between April 2024 and March 2025. CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady breaks it down.

Washington

U.S. jobs growth revised down by 911,000

A Michigan judge has dropped criminal charges against 15 people who were accused of trying to falsely certify Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has the latest.

Michigan

Judge tosses case against 15 accused fake Trump electors in 2020

Israel says it carried out a strike targeting Hamas leaders. One Israeli official says it happened in Doha, Qatar. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio reports.

Doha

Israel targets Hamas leadership in Doha strike

The Trump administration launched a new immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, saying the latest federal crackdown in a US city would target the "worst of the worst criminals." But activists in the city remain defiant and say they will resist efforts by ICE to snatch people off the streets.

Chicago

Activists defiant as Trump launches ICE raids in Chicago

Norway's Labour Party has won four more years in government after seeing off a surge in support for the right. But exit polls predict it will only have a small majority, and its future may depend on how it navigates Norway's relationship with the rest of the world.

Oslo

Norway’s PM Stoere claims victory in general election

Officials in Nepal say at least 16 people are dead and dozens more injured after police opened fire on protesters. Tens of thousands, mostly young people, rallied in the capital Kathmandu against the government's ban on platforms including Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Kathmandu

Multiple fatalities as Nepal police fire on protesters

France's Prime Minister François Bayrou overwhelmingly lost a confidence vote Monday after nine months in office. CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul has more.

French PM François Bayrou ousted after losing confidence vote

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to continue its sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after they were briefly halted. CBS News immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.

Supreme Court allows L.A. immigration stops to continue

Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday (September 8), killing six people in what police described as "a terrorist attack," one of the deadliest in the city in the past few years.

Jerusalem

Palestinian gunmen kill six at Jerusalem bus stop

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was ready to hit Russia with a second phase of sanctions after its largest air attack on Ukraine in nearly four years of war. The assault on Saturday caused serious damage in Ukraine's capital, including to one of its most important government buildings.

Ukraine Invasion

Trump considering second phase of sanctions on Russia

A drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck southern Israel Sunday, hitting Ramon International Airport near Eilat and forcing a shutdown of airspace in the region.

Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport

Yemen’s Houthi rebels strike Israel's Ramon International Airport

Protests have erupted in Chicago after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a federal crackdown, including sending National Guard troops and expanding deportations.

Chicago braces after Trump threatens National Guard deployment

Russia's largest overnight air attack of the war set the main building of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv on fire and killed at least four people, including an infant, Ukrainian officials said.

Kyiv

Russia launches biggest air attack of the war on Ukraine

Problems with a cable likely caused a Lisbon funicular railway popular with tourists to hurtle down a hill, killing at least 16 people and injuring another 22 when it crashed into a building, according to a preliminary report.

Lisbon

Deadly Portugal funicular crash likely due to problems with cable

U.S. indie director Jim Jarmusch unexpectedly won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday with "Father Mother Sister Brother", a three-part meditation on the uneasy ties between parents and their adult children.

Venice

U.S. independent director Jim Jarmusch wins Venice top prize

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday (September 7) he has decided to resign, caving to ruling party pressure on him to take responsibility for a series of election losses amid voter anger over rising living costs.

Tokyo

Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba resigns after election losses

South Korea announced the deal on Sunday. The immigration raid was part of a criminal investigation targeting a major economic project of a key U.S. ally.

Savannah

South Korean workers detained in U.S. raid in Georgia to be released

Chicago officials agree that a federal crackdown on immigration is imminent. Saturday kicked off a week-long celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

Chicago officials agree a federal immigration crackdown is imminent

Wall Street took hits on the market after hiring slumped in August. The economy added 22,000 jobs, far below expectations, fueling fresh concerns about a slowdown.

Trump hits the links amid economic slowdown concerns

The United States is not talking about regime change in Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Friday, as the United States ordered an additional 10 stealth fighter jets to a military buildup in the Caribbean.

Caracas

Trump plays down regime change in Venezuela amid military buildup

The Israeli military told Palestinians in Gaza City to leave for the south before bombing a high-rise tower as its forces advance deeper into the enclave's largest urban area.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel tells Palestinians to leave as it pushes into Gaza City

US President Donald Trump's threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans have ignited resistance from local leaders and residents, who argue the deployments serve as intimidation rather than crime prevention.

Trump to send National Guard to more cities

The White House said the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico. It comes as the Defense Department confirmed that two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over a U.S. Navy ship in the region on Thursday.

U.S. to send F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico amid Venezuela tensions

President Trump signed an executive order to start the process of renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, restoring a name the agency last held in the late 1940s.

Farmers and experts weigh in on benefits of AI in Ag

Breakdown

See The Full Story

Rise of AI