“With artificial intelligence you can’t wait and see what happens. We need to be active, because we are facing a revolution, similar to the one that occurred with the advent of the Internet”. Giampaolo Barbieri, CEO of Barbieri srl and member of the Presidential Council of FederUnacoma, used these words to describe the scope of the advent of artificial intelligence in all sectors, including agriculture. He did so at Eima International at the meeting entitled “AI: the prospects of industry” which was attended by representatives of Cema (The European Committee of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers), the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and manufacturing giants such as John Deere and Cnh.
The progress of artificial intelligence is remarkable and the applications in agriculture are now multiple. Now in the field, visual recognition makes it possible to identify phytopathological problems or irrigation deficiencies and to act promptly. Through robots equipped with artificial intelligence – it was mentioned during the meeting – harvesting operations can be automated and, even further downstream in the production process, AI can be used for selection in the fruit and vegetable sector and to optimize packaging processes.
For Barbieri, artificial intelligence is not an exclusive tool of industrial giants, but an extraordinary opportunity also for small and medium-sized businesses. “A recent study on these types of companies – remarked the FederUnacoma councilor – has shown that those who are using AI in their company have more than doubled their chances of creating income and growing compared to companies that have decided not to enter this market”. This is thanks to increased efficiency, decision support systems and improved productivity. “Artificial intelligence,” Barbieri concluded, “represents a real ‘booster’ for business and for us manufacturers”.
The growth of AI in Italy is confirmed by the numbers, which are constantly increasing. In 2018, according to data from the Polytechnic University of Milan, the market was worth 210 million euros, which then rose to 300 in 2020 and 500 in 2022. The year 2023 (the latest data available for Italy), saw EUR 760 million achieved, with a growth of 52% compared to the previous 12 months. Yet, as Marko Bertogna, Full Professor of Physical, Computer and Mathematical Sciences at Unimore, points out, Europe is behind: “It is never too late to invest and there are still opportunities for expansion. But it is worth remembering that the top ten companies in terms of investment in this high-tech sector are all American or Chinese”. Bertogna emphasizes that there are several mature products in the agricultural mechanization sector, for example on the autonomous driving front. EIMA International 2024 is the mirror of evolution in progress.
