The Refresh Working Group—a research collaboration with members from Food Tank, Google, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than twenty other partners—hosted a panel discussion with former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to discuss the future of technology in the food system. The evening was moderated by Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg.
Vilsack referred to the risks farmers engage in on a daily basis, their growing interest in technology, and the need for productive dialogue between tech engineers, farmers, and politicians. And Ali Lange, Senior Public Policy Analyst at Google, remarked about her experience working with farmer Don Bustos and the importance of introducing technology to farmers in culturally appropriate ways. Bustos, also present on the panel, highlighted this, stating, “Artificial intelligence has an important role in the global food system, but the more important question is how communities decide how to use that AI system?”
Check out a video of the entire event below.
