Google’s X Launches Heritable Agriculture: A New AI Startup Aiming to Boost Crop Yields
Google’s X “moonshot factory” recently announced the launch of its latest venture, Heritable Agriculture, a startup focused on enhancing crop yields using data and machine learning. Founded by Brad Zamft, a former program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ex-CEO at TL Biolabs, Heritable aims to tackle the environmental challenges posed by agriculture, which significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, groundwater depletion, and pollution from agricultural chemicals.
In its announcement, Heritable emphasized the incredible efficiency of plants, describing them as “solar powered, carbon negative, self-assembling machines that feed on sunlight and water.” However, modern agriculture’s practices are causing substantial strain on the planet.
The startup intends to utilize large datasets and machine learning to aid farmers in improving crop production. While gathering data is relatively straightforward, transforming it into actionable insights for agriculture is much more complex. Zamft stated that the company is focused on breeding plants with climate-friendly characteristics to improve yields while reducing water needs and enhancing carbon storage in soil.
Heritable’s research involved testing its models on thousands of plants grown in controlled environments as well as in field studies across multiple states, including California, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Although gene editing technologies like CRISPR could play a role in their future endeavors, the company is currently concentrating on traditional breeding methods.
As for commercial plans, Heritable has secured a seed round of funding from investors such as FTW Ventures and Mythos Ventures, with Google also holding an undisclosed equity stake in the startup. The company aims to commercialize its technology but has not specified partnerships or timelines as of yet.
For more details, visit Heritable Agriculture and read their announcement.
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