"Sesame Died Before the Weeds": Chinese Farmer Loses Year's Harvest After Trusting AI Advice

Relying on AI for Everything from Farming Schedule and Fertilizer to Pesticide
Following AI Advice Led to Sesame Fields Dying Off
Damage Estimated at Around 31.5 Million Won

A farmer in China lost most of his approximately 100,000 square meter sesame field after following pesticide instructions provided by artificial intelligence (AI) exactly as recommended. On August 18, Yonhap News TV reported, citing the UK's Independent and local Chinese media, the story of a farmer who tried using an AI program for farming this year but ended up ruining his harvest.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Pixabay

Mr. Wu, a 67-year-old living in Chuzhou, Anhui Province, had been using an AI application for his farming work for about a year. He asked the AI questions about the timing of sowing, spraying pesticides, and how to use fertilizer. As the initial answers proved helpful in his actual work, he gradually began to trust the AI more. He explained to local media that he would usually "ask AI about everything." At first, he doubted the AI answers, but since the information provided seemed plausible and was helpful on the farm, he eventually began following the AI's instructions without any additional verification.

The incident occurred on July 10. Mr. Wu first asked about methods for removing weeds from his rice paddy and then inquired about how to eliminate both weeds and pests from his sesame field at once. When he added that he wanted to use an agricultural drone for spraying, the AI suggested a so-called "100-mu Sesame Aerial Integrated Weed and Pest Control Plan." The plan the AI proposed included herbicides such as high-efficiency haloxyfop-P and fomesafen, as well as insecticides like thiamethoxam and an emamectin-based chemical. Based on this information, Mr. Wu mixed the chemicals and sprayed them across the entire sesame field using a drone.

The results appeared in just one day. Mr. Wu told local media that the sesame seedlings rapidly deteriorated from the day after spraying; both the weeds and sesame plants withered and died, with the sesame seedlings actually dying even faster. The affected area was estimated at about 100,000 square meters. Chinese media have estimated the total damage at around 150,000 yuan (31.5 million won).

The results appeared within a day. Mr. Woo explained to the local media that the sesame seedlings rapidly deteriorated from the day after the pesticide spraying, with both the weeds and sesame drying up and dying, and the sesame seedlings dying even faster. The photo is not related to any specific content of the article. Pixabay

The main culprit identified was the fomesafen recommended by the AI. Local pesticide retailers and agricultural technology experts explained that spraying fomesafen across an entire sesame field could cause serious phytotoxicity in the crops. They noted that the method and scope of use should be strictly limited according to the crop type and spraying conditions, but this was not considered, and spraying the entire field with a drone led to damage to the sesame plants.

After the incident, Mr. Wu asked the AI again about the cause. The AI reportedly responded that fomesafen among the chemicals it had recommended earlier may have been the cause of the sesame damage. Mr. Wu commented that if the AI had provided a clearer warning about the risk from the beginning, he would not have followed the recommendation as is. However, a warning that "you should verify this information as AI-generated content may contain errors" was already displayed at the top of the application's chat window. Mr. Wu stated that he had not paid close attention to this notice until now.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.