Cropin collaborates with Google to launch open-source AI model to support farmers

Cropin Technology, a Google-backed agritech company, has unveiled an open-sourced micro-language model named ‘akṣara’ for climate-smart agriculture in the Global South. This model aims to empower underserved farmers by providing frugal and scalable AI solutions for the agriculture sector.

The ‘akṣara’ AI model will initially cover nine crops in the Indian subcontinent, compressed into 4-bit for environmental sustainability. Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO of Cropin, highlighted the significance of domain-specific AI models in attracting investments for transforming food systems and revolutionizing tech-driven farming practices.

With over 5,000 question-response pairs specific to agriculture, the ‘akṣara’ model is fine-tuned to provide insights into modern farming practices, accurate information, and farm advisories. Cropin aims to bridge the gap caused by environmental challenges and limited technological advancements in the agriculture sector.

The company plans to expand the ‘akṣara’ model to include more crops, geographic locations, and use cases to support agronomists, agri-scientists, field staff, and extension workers in multiple languages. This open-source initiative is expected to bring about a new era of tech-driven farming, empowering farmers with valuable insights and resources for improved productivity and profitability.