Agricultural machinery, once reliant on brute force, is now learning to "think" with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). These machines can not only precisely identify weeds and pests but also adjust their operations in real-time based on crop growth conditions, and even work autonomously in the fields without human intervention. At the ongoing 25th China Changchun International Agriculture & Food Expo (Changchun Agricultural Expo), a sprawling 50,000-square-meter exhibition area for intelligent agricultural machinery showcases over 300 domestic and foreign companies. A reporter's visit revealed that AI is rapidly moving from a mere concept to practical agricultural production scenarios. More and more "new farmers" are no longer relying solely on traditional experience; instead, they are efficiently completing field tasks with the help of AI, drones, and intelligent agricultural machinery.

On August 14, in Changchun, Jilin, a massive smart agricultural machine attracted visitors to watch. "We are at a critical juncture between traditional and modern agriculture," said Meng Fanlong, General Manager of Jilin Yuzhushou Agricultural Services Technology Co., Ltd. Pointing to an agricultural drone worth 10 million yuan, he noted that the device can fly continuously for 12 hours, and based on its theoretical maximum range, it could cover the distance from Changchun to Beijing. "But we sell services, not equipment. The core logic behind this is the huge market potential of AI empowering 'new farmers'." To address the common pain point of "new farmers" lacking planting experience, this model offers a complete process solution: after purchasing the service, farmers use drones for field patrol monitoring, uploading abnormal crop data to an AI platform for diagnosis in real-time. For complex issues, agricultural experts provide online answers, and finally, drones are dispatched for precise plant protection. Meng Fanlong stated that over the past two years, this equipment has completed over one million mu of operations in Tonghua, Jilin.

On August 14, at the Changchun Agricultural Expo, intelligent laser weeders, agricultural drones, and unmanned agricultural machinery debuted together, showcasing smart agriculture operational scenarios. Beyond aerial monitoring, AI is also equipping ground-level agricultural machinery with sharper "eyes" and more precise "hands". The intelligent laser weeder, exhibited by Jilin University, can instantly identify and locate weeds using machine vision, then precisely "burn" them with high-heat lasers, achieving non-contact weeding. This equipment supports autonomous driving and can operate around the clock. It is currently used for weeding crops like cabbage, carrots, peppers, lilies, and peonies in Ningxia, Guangdong, Jilin, and Shandong.

Professor Wang Gang from the College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Jilin University noted that such high-tech equipment is currently mainly targeted at high-value organic agriculture. Due to factors like cost, this type of machinery is still a distance from being widely applied to staple crop production. However, as technology matures, intelligent equipment like laser weeders will gradually expand into more agricultural scenarios. Meanwhile, AI is also driving agricultural machinery from "manned driving" to "autonomous operation". An unmanned agricultural machine exhibited by Changchun Sanhetong Technology Co., Ltd. can complete the entire set of field operations independently after setting task commands manually. It is currently undergoing field tests on large farms in Heilongjiang. The company's Deputy General Manager, Duan Junhui, exclaimed, "With the support of AI, agricultural machinery has become more flexible and intelligent than ever before."