For Farmers
The short version
AI farming apps look impressive. Not all of them give accurate advice, and some are much better than others. AI AgriBench tests them against real farm questions and publishes how they scored, so you do not have to take a company's word for it.
Who runs this
The University of Illinois runs AI AgriBench, not a company selling AI. Companies take part, but no company decides its own score, and every company's results are published the same way.
What we test
We ask AI tools the kinds of questions growers and advisors actually ask — diagnosing a nutrient deficiency, timing a fungicide, setting a seeding rate, managing a weed problem, responding to weather. Then experienced agronomists check whether the answers are right.
We score four things about each answer: whether it is correct, whether it covers what matters, whether it actually answers the question, and whether it gets to the point.
What the scores do not tell you
- A high score does not mean a tool is right about your field, your soil, or this season.
- A score is for a moment in time. The tools change, and the scores change with them.
- This version tests general technical knowledge. It does not yet test advice that depends on your own farm data, your hybrid choices, or your input products.
What to do with this
Before you rely on an AI app for a crop decision, check the leaderboard and look at how it scored in the area you care about — pests, soils, water, and so on. Ask your retailer or your extension agent whether they have looked at it too.
And treat AI advice the way you would treat advice from someone you just met: useful, worth checking, not the last word.
Questions
Write to us at aiagribench@lists.illinois.edu, or sign up for updates.