Bringing your garden to life with AI
On a recent visit to Carraig Gardens and tearoom, just outside Mountnugent, I was introduced to Marcus Aurelius by the owner of the three acre paradise, Una Hole. This encounter with a Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher, albeit in the form of a statue standing among green foliage, provided the inspiration to write about how we can live with AI like a stoic and learn from ancient wisdom. The stoic way of surviving AI is to look on it as an opportunity not an obstacle, and to use it to optimise your life. We have a choice: ignore AI because it is frightening, or embrace it, turning your fear into achievements and enjoyment.
I was given a tour of Carraig Gardens by Una who led me through various themed gardens. A handmade wishing well at the entrance was called the ‘well of knowledge’. Una certainly had a wealth of horticultural knowledge and without hesitation she put a name to trees, shrubs, herbs and flowers adorning the pathways. Una’s knowledge of horticulture has been acquired through lifelong study and experience. This invaluable human knowledge is now being used to build AI models to generate robotic horticulturists which will be capable of conducting garden tours in large estates. It was obvious that Una did not need any AI assistance to give me a guided tour; she was a qualified horticulturist who worked in Virginia Park, and the Farnham and Slane estates.
Nowadays, domestic gardeners are looking towards AI to shape the way they garden. Smart gardening technology is combining robots with AI to help with lawncare and irrigation. Sensors in conjunction with AI can monitor the moisture in soil to adjust irrigation times saving many litres of water. The health of plants can also be improved substantially by continuously monitoring the nutrients in the soil using specific sensors which generate the data to be fed into AI models. AI is aslo currently being used to help gardeners identify the best plants for different locations to promote optimum growth. It would be impractical for humans to constantly monitor trees and build networks of all urban trees without sensors and AI technology. The flow of sap up tree trunks, or the rate of growth, can be continuously monitored with networked sensors connected to AI models.
The unique connection Una had to nature and her gardens could not be replaced by AI technology. This was evident during her tour which she had developed and nurtured over many years. However, this will not stop the development of AI and robots trained on human horticulturists notes, documents, emails and voice recordings to produce digital copies or clones of experts like Una.
Who would you connect with more on a guided tour of a local garden or estate? A human or an AI robot - even if it did sound like Una. If Marcus Aurelius's statue could share his ancient wisdom, he may well have had suggestions to come to terms with AI in modern times.
However, in a futuristic garden, the statue will inevitably be replaced with an AI-powered robot which looks and sounds like a living philosopher which will either make your visit more interactive, enjoyable and enlightening - or simply frighten you off.
Don’t let AI create fear. Adapt a stoic approach and learn to thrive in an ever changing world of AI. If you are a gardener, look at AI technology as another tool to make life easier. You may be surprised at how much more life you can have in your garden.
Imagine a future where you can one day sit in your garden and have a two-way conversation with your favourite gnomes and philosophers!