On Tuesday, December 12, AVAG, Stichting Hortivation, TNO and GreenTech are again organizing the Future Trends & Innovations event. The afternoon will focus on 'AI in horticulture - the game-changer for the sector?' Chief Scientist Peter Werkhoven of TNO will be a guest at the World Horti Center that afternoon to provide context for that question. The theme will then be explored in more depth in parallel sessions. Interested parties can register for the event free of charge.
Models for artificial intelligence have been around for some time. The advent of various AI-driven models that can automatically process texts and answer knowledge-based questions brought the technology into the spotlight this year. However, the possibilities of artificial intelligence go much further. AI tools can also be of unprecedented significance for companies. One of the sectors where the technology is predicted to have a great future is horticulture. Growing crops under conditioned conditions already generates a large flow of data. The deployment of sensors, such as at the plant level, can only increase that amount of data. Where the human mind fails to analyze and combine all that data, AI effortlessly jumps in.
Successful deployment of AI at large horticultural companies
Predicting the behavior of the crop and thus optimizing the cultivation strategy thus becomes more possible. Large horticultural companies are already making use of these possibilities and with success. Where this development ends will be the topic of discussion on Tuesday, December 12, during Future Trends & Innovations.
Keynote speaker: Peter Werkhoven
The annual event has invited Peter Werkhoven as keynote speaker. He is responsible within TNO as Chief Scientist and is also a Professor of Computer Science at Utrecht University. With his experience in the application of artificial intelligence in numerous sectors, he can make a good prediction of what is in store for horticulture.
Six parallel sessions
After his speech, event participants will have the opportunity to talk further about those future prospects. That happens during the six parallel sessions covering a variety of subtopics, such as data-driven growing, autonomous cultivation control in cucumber or increasing access to fresh food. Each participant can attend two sessions lasting just under half an hour.
Program
The Future Trends & Innovations event will be held at the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk. The program starts at 14.30 with a walk-in. From 3 p.m. to 4:10 p.m., Peter Werkhoven will take the stage for his presentation. After the second series of parallel sessions, around 5:30 p.m., there will be a two-hour opportunity to catch up with other participants during drinks with the buffet that follows.
Registration is available at www.aanmelder.nl/futuretrends2023. Participation in the afternoon is free. The organization is a co-production of AVAG, Stichting Hortivation, TNO, and GreenTech.