IPB University Professor Offers Sustainable AI Concept for Food Security
IPB University Professor of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Prof Dr Yeni Herdiyeni emphasized the importance of applying the Sustainable AI approach in facing various challenges in Indonesia’s food security and agromaritime sectors.
At the Press Conference of Pre Scientific Oration of Professor of IPB University, Thursday (6/26), Prof Yeni said, Sustainable AI is needed to answer a number of complex problems that threaten the national food sector. In her presentation, she highlighted the production of rice and chili which has continued to decline in recent years.
“We see that from 2018 to 2024, national rice production continues to decline, even though in terms of technology it is getting more advanced. In the horticulture sector, national chili production fell by more than 120 thousand tons between 2017 and 2021,” she said.
She also highlighted the challenges of digitalization of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) that have not been evenly distributed. “Many MSMEs still have a low level of digitalization. This is a threat to the economy because MSMEs are the heart of the economy in Indonesia,” she added.
To answer these challenges, Prof Yeni introduced the concept of Sustainable AI. “In building AI technology, we need to pay attention to two aspects. Not only technological factors, but also human and natural balance factors,” she explained.
Furthermore, she explained that this concept includes two main approaches: AI for Sustainability (utilizing AI for sustainability) and Sustainability of AI (developing AI that is energy efficient, inclusive, and ethical).
Prof Yeni also explained a number of concrete innovations that have been developed. In agriculture, she and her team created an application based on computer vision and deep learning for early detection of begomovirus, a disease that attacks chili plants. “This technology helps farmers to detect quickly and reduce dependence on pesticides,” she said.
Together with the Rubber Research Center in Palembang, Prof Yeni and her team also developed technology to monitor leaf fall disease caused by Pestalotiopsis fungus in rubber plants using drones and satellite data.
In the fisheries sector, they designed an AI model to predict the upwelling phenomenon. This technology helps fishermen save fuel and facilitate estimation of fishing costs and time.
For the MSME sector, his team collaborated with Bank Indonesia (BI) to develop a digitalization assessment model. The results of this research help BI in formulating more targeted digital transformation policies. Prof Yeni also explained the development of the smart village concept that integrates social science, data, and village infrastructure.
At the end of her presentation, Prof Yeni emphasized, “AI technology is not only about technology, but also about humans and the environment. Therefore, let us build AI that can empower humans and the environment,” Prof Yeni concluded. (Fj) (IAAS/NRA)
