Bayer today announced the pilot launch of a Generational Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) system aimed at transforming the daily lives of farmers and agronomists. Using a combination of proprietary agronomic data, insights from thousands of trials and the expertise of its agronomists, the company has created a specialized Large Language Model (LLM).
The system promises to quickly and accurately answer questions about agronomy, agricultural management and Bayer agricultural products. According to the company, already in the pilot phase, the system demonstrates significant improvements in the productivity of Bayer teams in the United States, vastly surpassing generic LLM models available in the agricultural market.
Amanda McClerren, CIO and head of digital transformation and information technology at Bayer's agricultural sciences division, highlighted the system's global potential: “our unique GenAI system can serve agronomists and benefit farmers around the world, further advancing AI as a essential technology for agriculture”.
Developed in collaboration with Microsoft and Ernst & Young (EY), Bayer explores the integration of the GenAI system into its digital offerings, envisioning opportunities for collaboration with other partners in the agricultural sector. Designed to be a global capability, the tool aims to democratize access to agronomic advice and product information essential to feeding communities and improving global food security.
“With Bayer’s strengths in data science, digital, and especially agronomic expertise, we are contributing to an expert system that will make agronomic understanding more accessible and empower those responsible for feeding the planet,” said Ranveer Chandra, director of industry research and CTO Agri-Food at Microsoft.
In addition to GenAI innovation, Bayer and Microsoft recently updated their strategic partnership with the launch of AgPowered services, bringing ready capabilities to the agri-food industry. This includes Bayer Historical Weather, a comprehensive meteorological dataset, and a connector developed in partnership with Lindsay Corporation that enables access to irrigation data, expanding the types of data available to Azure Data Manager enterprise customers.
These new cloud offerings support not only agricultural production, but also regulatory and sustainability reporting. For example, Bayer Smart Boundary ID uses satellite imagery to detect field boundaries and automatically identify areas of seasonal agricultural activity, helping with regulatory compliance.
“Through our AgPowered Services, we are making access to digital tools easy and convenient, benefiting the industry and driving innovation,” said Jeremy Williams, head of digital agriculture at Bayer's agricultural sciences division.
With the promise of reducing time to market for new capabilities and offering increased opportunities for farmers and value chain customers, the partnership between Bayer and Microsoft is establishing a robust digital infrastructure, enabling organizations to access ready-to-use capabilities and build upon of a solid digital foundation.
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