Kiwi farmers should be sceptical of AI hype

Below: The head of Growth Marketing at Farm Focus, Blair Rooney, says AI has the potential to enhance onfarm productivity and financial performance in meaningful ways.

AI is everywhere. Every week, another company claims their latest feature is “powered by

AI,” promising revolutionary change. But as someone who works in the agri-tech sector, I urge Kiwi farmers to approach these claims with a healthy dose of scepticism.

The agricultural sector has seen its fair share of technology trends come and go, and AI may be no different. Some innovations genuinely move the needle; others are little more than marketing hype, using flashy bells and whistles designed to attract attention, rather than real, material improvements to the product.

The hype around AI often obscures the fact that many companies are chasing trends rather than delivering value. So, when a company suddenly starts touting AI, farmers should ask: Is this a wellintegrated tool designed to solve real problems, or is it a quick add-on to ride the AI wave?

Right now, much of what’s branded as AI in agri-tech is simply repackaging of existing technology. Many solutions are just large language models plugged into dashboards to generate summaries or “insights.” Sure, it might look impressive at a glance, but does it measurably improve the user’s ability to make decisions or boost productivity?

That’s the question we need to ask. Genuine AI innovation requires years of refinement, practical application, and a deep understanding of user needs; something that can’t be achieved overnight or through marketing gimmicks. The risk for business owners, including farmers, is investing in tools that promise much but fall short when it comes to improving productivity or profitability.

At Farm Focus, we’ve been leveraging AI – though we never used the term at the time – for years to deliver real, practical benefits to farmers. For example, our machine-learning-powered invoice scanning feature accurately extracts key information from farmers’ receipts and inputs it into the system automatically. No manual entry required. This is AI in action, quietly working behind the scenes to save farmers time and hassle. It’s not shiny or trendy, but it works – and our customers appreciate that.

That’s the standard we hold ourselves to when developing new features or capabilities. Whether it involves AI or more traditional product development, our north star is simple: will this actually help farmers? If the answer is no, we don’t pursue it.

Looking ahead, we’re excited about AI’S potential to enhance on-farm productivity and financial performance in meaningful ways. Dynamic forecasting and more interactive scenario planning are on our roadmap – not because AI is trendy, but because these innovations will make a real difference in financial planning for your day-to-day operations.

At the end of the day, farmers don’t need tech for tech’s sake. They need tools that they can trust, that solve real problems and are grounded in the practical, Number 8 wire spirit that drives New Zealand’s rural sector. Farmers deserve better than gimmicks. They deserve tech that works as hard as they do.

Right now, much of what is branded as AI in agri-tech is simply repackaging of existing technology.

Article Name:Kiwi farmers should be sceptical of AI hype

Publication:NZ Farmer

Author:Blair Rooney Opinion

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