Can artificial intelligence help the agriculture industry save water? Two high schoolers in Idaho say 'yes'

SALT LAKE CITY — One of the concerns Utahns have voiced about artificial intelligence is the amount of water artificial intelligence data centers use.

But two high schoolers in Idaho say AI can actually help the agriculture industry save water.

Marco Trotta and Henry Turcotte created a startup designed to use algorithms to help farmers determine how much water their crops need and when they need it.

The goal is to reduce wasted water, energy and time, while still giving crops what they need to grow.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, irrigation accounted for 47% of the nation's freshwater withdrawals between 2010 and 2020. Freshwater withdrawals describe water taken from groundwater or surface water sources and used elsewhere.

The teenagers believe if AI can help farmers use even a portion of that water more efficiently, its impact could outweigh the resources needed to run the technology.

"There's obviously negatives; there's trade-offs with anything," said Marco Trotta, an Irrigant co-founder, "but I think there are so many subsets and positive features that this truly is a technology that could be built for good."

So far, the two have been testing their tech on 7,000 active acres of agriculture. They hope to expand that amount, and to launch their startup in 2027.

— Kalei Fink

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