John Deere uses AI vision to cut herbicide use as crops are sprayed
John Deere's See & Spray uses cameras and computer vision to identify individual weeds and spray only where needed, instead of blanketing entire fields.
The Business
John Deere's See & Spray uses cameras and computer vision to identify individual weeds and spray only where needed, instead of blanketing entire fields.
John Deere · Americas · 75,000+ employees.
Before AI
Farmers broadcast herbicide across whole fields, spraying crop and soil indiscriminately and using far more chemical than necessary.
What Changed
See & Spray mounts up to 36 cameras on a 120-foot boom, scanning at up to 15 mph. Onboard AI detects weeds in real time and triggers individual nozzles to spray only the targets.
The Result
Customers reported average herbicide savings of 59% across corn, soybean and cotton in 2024. The 2025 season reportedly saved roughly 31 million gallons of herbicide mix, with some operations reporting up to two-thirds reduction.
Why this matters
Selective action beats brute force.
The underlying idea — use AI vision to act only where action is actually needed — extends well beyond farming.
Cleaning, inspection, coating, sorting and quality control all waste resource by treating everything the same. Where could precise, targeted action replace blanket effort in your industry?
Technology Used
Used for:
Source
Results are reported by the identified source/company and have not necessarily been independently verified by AI YAI YAI.
Could this work in your market?
Explore this opportunity in South Africa.
Related Cases
AgricultureSouth Carolina Seed Farm Digitizes Decades of Data and Boosts Real-Time Operations with ChatGPT
Sharp & Sharp Certified Seed, a multi-generational family farm, transformed its operations by digitizing decades of handwritten crop ledgers with ChatGPT, making historical data instantly accessible. The farm now leverages ChatGPT for real-time troubleshooting, logging field work, and making quicker, more confident decisions, significantly streamlining daily tasks.
AgricultureGE Healthcare Drives Better Outcomes With Machine Learning
GE Healthcare has integrated machine learning into its operations to significantly improve patient care. By using data mining platforms to analyze patient records and developing predictive algorithms, the company can now anticipate post-discharge complications and enhance the overall quality of care.
AgricultureTransforming small farming with open-source, AI-powered connected edge solutions
Smallholder farmers are leveraging the open-source Liquid Prep app, developed with IBM technology and hosted by the Linux Foundation, to optimize water usage. This AI-powered solution analyzes soil, weather, and crop data to provide intelligent watering guidance directly to farmers.
Consumer GoodsKraft Heinz cut new-product content from 8 weeks to 8 hours
Kraft Heinz built a generative AI platform to compress product content and concept development.