Plenty’s AI Post-Mortem: What Went Wrong in the Vertical Farm?
In 2021, I published " Cultivating Confusion: How AI Research is Misguidedly Transforming Agricultural Innovation ," a critical analysis that astutely observed a burgeoning trend: computer scientists and engineers, often lacking profound agricultural understanding, were increasingly driving AI research in the sector. My analysis voiced deep concern about the over-reliance on technology, the neglect of fundamental agricultural principles, and the unrealistic expectations surrounding AI's potential. Now, roughly four years later, the recent bankruptcies of companies like Plenty, as highlighted in my subsequent analysis " The CEA Mirage: When Tech Hubris Meets Agricultural Reality ," stand as a stark and almost prophetic validation of those very concerns. Building upon that more recent piece, this article dissects Plenty's failure through the lens of my earlier analysis, revealing the unlearned lessons and the perilous trajectory of a technology-first agricul...