A conversation with Paul Clarke, technologist, innovator, inventor about technology and innovative tools from various domains, including modelling, digital twins, digital shadows, robots, and other smart hardware solutions that are crucial for the regenerative transition—tools we’ve barely begun to consider, let alone adopt.

We often hear about AI, machine learning, and large language models, but these represent only a fraction of what is currently available. Paul argues that the challenges we face are so immense that we cannot afford to ignore the potential of these technologies. They are essential for building better farms, advancing farm technologies, creating smarter robots and hardware, developing improved food systems, optimising food warehouses, and so much more.

This podcast is part of the AI 4 Soil Health project which aims to help farmers and policy makers by providing new tools powered by AI to monitor and predict soil health across Europe. For more information visit ai4soilhealth.eu.

DIGITAL TWINS

Paul talks about the potential of digital twins and other modelling technologies to improve farm technologies and food systems.

”The key thing is a digital twin has to have that modelling element. It has to be able to predict the future. It’s not just a data store. It’s not just a sort of a collection of data about some physical asset, the physical twin. But then the other key thing is it needs to be connected to its physical twin in both directions. So, if we think of an example of a weather forecasting system, that’s a digital shadow, it takes a lot of data in from weather stations around the world. It models it, it predicts the weather in the future. And then we get it on the, you know, on the news, so to speak, that that’s a digital shadow, because the connection is in one direction. What makes a true digital twin, in my terms and most of the terms, is that then, when you take those insights and you use them to control the real world, then you’ve created a digital twin.” Paul Clarke

SMART TECHNOLOGIES

There is a whole family of smart machines.

”I suppose the physical world started to come in terms of the more real-time applications, so software that interacts with the real world in terms of control, and then that led on to the whole area of what I would now call smart machines. Others might call them robots, but I think you know increasingly that robots are too narrow to describe the variety and diversity of smart machines as they exist now.” Paul Clarke

”The point is, one of the other flavours of AI, which is embodied AI, which is when you put that kind of intelligence, if we want to call it that, inside a machine, inside a smart machine, that’s the smarts, if you like, but it’s a symbiotic relationship, because the smart machine can also be the arms and legs of AI. It can allow AI to escape, if you like, from inside your desktop or whatever, and/or a server, and get out into the physical world, and do that with scalability and agency.” Paul Clarke

THE SUITE OF TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, BOTH HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, THAT ARE AVAILABLE BUT WE ARE NOT USING IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Paul discusses the need for a systems approach to agriculture, including the use of AI, smart machines, and modelling to optimise and automate processes. He highlights the importance of intersectionality in innovation, drawing on examples from different industries.

”So incredibly important in many areas, including when you want to innovate and model new technologies before they exist. So, if you’re inventing a new kind of robot or a new kind of smart machine, if you can do the modelling in silico, as it’s called, i.e., in a digital model, it’s much cheaper and faster and less risky than building prototypes in the physical world. But eventually, once you’ve sort of hammered out the design and you’re confident that it’s going to work in this digital model, then you start building the physical prototypes and putting them through their paces. And that’s when you start moving on to things like living labs as being environments in which you can do that testing. So, there is a whole ecosystem, if you like, that supports this blend of technologies. But the really exciting alchemy happens when you start cooking with all of them together.” Paul Clarke

”You need that blend of not just AI going off, you know, generative AI coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful solutions, which actually wouldn’t work in physical but when you put it connected. And this is what has been happening in, for instance, architecture for some time.” Paul Clarke

OTHER POINTS DISCUSSED

Koen and Paul also talked about:

• Importance of digital twins in modeling agricultural systems  
• Role of AI and robotics in farming efficiency  
• Need for a systems-thinking approach in food production 
• The need for a greater level of understanding, compassion, and humility in managing the planet sustainably

LINKS:

• Digital Twin
• Ocado
• Ocado’s warehouse
• The Cyber-Physical Infrastructure – UK Government
• The Complete Book of Self Sufficiency – Seymour John
• Ravenous Book

LINKED INTERVIEWS:

• AI, SOIL HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY SERIES
• Alfred Grand – Why an Austrian farmer and researcher trained by earthworms is very excited about AI
• Mateusz Ciasnocha and Maria Virginia Solis Wahnish – From EU Soil Mission to Pope Francis, how to change local and state agriculture and food policies
• Bridget Emmett – Moving over carbon soil compaction is the real issue in agriculture
• Jason Hayward-Jones – Corporates paying for low carbon grains and why virtual twins are key in gaming and Scottish whiskey
• Henry Dimbleby – From designing the National Food Strategy for England to starting a £50M fund focussed on food transition

——————————————

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

This work has received funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10053484, 1005216, 1006329].

This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

——————————————

Feedback, comments, suggestions? Reach me via Twitter @KoenvanSeijen, in the comments below or through Get in Touch on this website.

Join the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P

The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.