2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The continual growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture has surfaced concerns about AI ethics, responsibility, trust, and transparency among professionals in the industry and communities impacted by the technologies. Machine learning (ML), improved sensors in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) world, and advanced networking capabilities have vastly expanded the information processing capabilities of farmers and co-ops, allowing for action based on real-time information on yields, pest control, and farming cycles, to name a few benefits. However, these systems can also highlight the problematic nature of technology outgrowing regulation. These technologies introduce the same surveillance and data ownership concerns that continue to be raised with technology in other industries. There is also the question of what role human labor has in the future of agriculture. While previous research has outlined several fundamental topics for the ethical implementation of technology in agriculture, navigating conversations about AI in agriculture with members outside the industry is an ongoing discussion. To explore how these conversations can be raised with college students, we use a collaborative approach to augment students’ thinking about AI ethics in the context of agriculture and farming. This paper uses a content analysis procedure to explore undergraduate engineering and computing students’ recognition of AI ethics principles in agriculture. We describe an exercise using a role-play scenario (RPS) activity and a case study of a fictitious AI-enabled farm to help students make these connections and identify ethical considerations. We collected data from seventy-three (73) students through a written assignment after participating in the RPS activity. Through our analysis, we noted that participants could identify and connect several ethical principles with the contents of the case study. Additionally, all our participants identified transparency, a central theme of the case study, as key to building trust between AI-enabled agriculture and the community. Enabling privacy was another heavily discussed topic across the groups while ensuring that communication was conducted sustainably. Role-plays can effectively engage college students in interdisciplinary conversations, especially for emerging issues such as AI ethics.