How to unlock the benefits of AI? – just ask Claude

Whether it’s adopting AI or developing a succession plan, the strong message from sessions on both topics at the recent Hort Connections conference in Adelaide was to start early and make the most of available advice. 

Key points: 

• Get your data in order  
• Access Government AI support services 
• Start using generative AI 

 You’ve got the data, you’re already using machine learning in the orchard and packhouse, the next step to bringing AI into your business is as simple as pulling out your phone and talking to it. 

That’s the message from Adrian Cullen, Industry Program Manager at the Australian Government’s National AI Centre (NAIC)¹, who delivered a compelling session on the massive potential of AI for driving business efficiencies and growth, and a pathway to adopt it, at Hort Connections in Adelaide in early June. 

Adrian said AI was not new and it was not about replacing people or taking data, but about providing ‘clear judgement’ to drive better informed, more timely decision-making, allowing growers to focus on growing food. 

Unlike traditional tools, he said AI became more capable over time, accumulating data and learning, with research already showing each $1 invested into AI technologies was returning $3.  

The potential benefits were transformative – reduced crop losses, great efficiencies and expanded exports, compounding over time for a more productive, profitable sector. 

Unlock the potential 

Adrian said many growers were already on the way. Data collection of crops, inputs and sales was widespread and machine learning applications such as weather-forecasting, vision-based packing lines, robotics and sensors commonly used.  

The pathway to realising the benefits of AI starts with building data, according to Adrian Cullen, National AI Centre (NAIC).

“At the top there’s Agentic AI, that’s the aspiration, and I aim for you to strive for this,” he said. “That’s the agents that watch the weather, they see the storm coming, they automatically rebook your harvest crew, and they notify the packhouse automatically.” 

“But it’s the generative AI that now provides a bit of an unlock for you. This is the layer that you talk to, through large language models like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, using your natural language and voice, or by typing inputs, and you get a response. 

Posing a hypothetical scenario of a raspberry grower preparing for harvest with data from four different systems variously flagged early disease infection, low soil moisture, peak harvest window on Thursday and rain on Wednesday, Adrian said AI could simplify the decision-making. 

“You’re having to put those all together to make a decision on when you pull that raspberry off the paddock,” he said. “This is decision support. You still apply the agronomy, the label, the withholding period, and the judgment, but AI is now there to pull the pieces together, so the right person can decide faster.  

“And you can ask one question in English: Should I spray for botrytis this afternoon. Generative AI can read the disease flags, sensor information, the weather forecast, and it can answer yes spray this afternoon. 

“I’m encouraging you today to start with that generative AI,  it doesn’t have to be big and lofty, it’s about using the tools that you’ve got in your back pocket or your ute, using your mobile phones to talk to it. 

“Pick something: a weekly market summary, a pack-out report, a draft buyer email using the free tools that you have. If you do use the paid tools, you do get better outputs and better security as well. 

“It is maths not magic. But it is a capability and it learns from you, it learns from your operations and the more you use it, the more data you put into it in a responsible way, the better it will work for you.” 

Urgency, not haste 

The NAIC was set up in 2021 to support industry in identifying where AI could support their work, assist in transitioning AI and in understanding and managing the risks. 

It provides guidance, tools and resources to support informed decisions about AI and access to support on where to start through federally-funded AI Adopt Centres. 

Adrian said while the opportunity was now, the message was urgency, not haste. 

“Think carefully about it, and consult people about your data layers, and consult people about your privacy,” he said. 

“Go to ai.gov.au which gives you a whole bunch of tools and resources, and how you can start and how you can protect yourself and your business.” 

Further resources 

National AI Centre – www.ai.gov.au  

Australian Regional AI Network – arain.com.au 

Further reading

Head in the sand is not a plan (Succession Planning) (AFG, winter 2026)

References

¹ The National AI Centre (NAIC) is the Australian Government’s lead body supporting industry to unlock the economic benefits of AI. It is part of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

This article was first published in the Winter 2026 edition of AFG.