You Can’t Always Listen to A.I. for Recommendations
You Can’t Always Listen to A.I. for Recommendations
By Joyce Allison Tredaway, Ph.D
Agronomist & Weed Scientist, Whitetail Institute
Artificial intelligence can be a helpful tool, until it isn’t. This week, a customer reached out after asking an AI program whether Sorghum Select could be sprayed with Arrest Maxx.
The AI responded confidently, even persuasively: “Your sorghum is well past the seedling stage, which means Arrest Maxx is safe to spray right now… Sorghum becomes tolerant once it has 4+ true leaves, a waxy cuticle, a stem thicker than a pencil lead… Arrest Maxx doesn’t kill sorghum, only very young seedlings.”
It sounded scientific. It sounded reassuring. It was completely wrong.
Why the AI Recommendation Was Dangerous
Sorghum is a grass crop. Arrest Maxx is a graminicide, a herbicide designed specifically to kill annual and perennial grasses, whether they’re weeds or crops.
That means:
- Arrest Maxx will kill sorghum at any growth stage.
- There is no tolerance window, no “safe once mature” period, and no developmental milestone that protects sorghum from Arrest Maxx.
- Following the AI-generated advice would have resulted in a total loss of the customer’s Sorghum Select plot.
This isn’t a gray area. It’s a fundamental agronomic fact.
Where AI Goes Wrong in Agriculture
AI excels at pattern recognition and language generation, but it does not understand plant physiology, herbicide mode of action, or crop safety beyond what it has scraped from the internet. When online sources contain errors, contradictions, or incomplete information, AI can confidently repeat misinformation.
Agronomy is not a domain where “close enough” works. A single incorrect herbicide recommendation can wipe out an entire planting.
Why Subject Matter Experts Still Matter
Tools like AI can help you learn, research, or brainstorm. But when it comes to chemical recommendations, crop safety, and weed control, you should rely on:
- Certified agronomists
- Weed scientists
- Product specialists
- Proven technical resources
These experts understand herbicide families, crop tolerance, environmental interactions, and real-world field behavior, things AI cannot reliably interpret.
The Bottom Line
AI is powerful, but it is not a replacement for agronomic expertise. If this customer hadn’t double-checked, he would have lost his Sorghum Select based on a confidently wrong AI answer.
Use AI as a tool, but trust your land, your crops, and your investment to real experts, not algorithms.
