USDA Seeks AI Solutions to Speed Crop Innovation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking universities, researchers and other agricultural stakeholders to help develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools that could speed crop research and improve plant breeding.

The effort is being led through the Genesis Mission and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA). Later this year, USDA expects to launch an Agricultural National Science & Technology Challenge focused on creating AI solutions that help researchers make better use of germplasm data.

The planned challenge is designed to help scientists analyze the large amounts of plant data USDA collects, including images, field observations and laboratory results. According to USDA, bringing these data sources together with AI could help researchers identify valuable plant and seed traits more quickly and accelerate the development of crops that are more resilient and productive.

While the initiative is aimed at research and technology development, USDA says the long-term goal is to support faster agricultural innovation that benefits future crop production.

“USDA is taking concrete steps to give scientists the modern tools they need to innovate agricultural solutions from the vast plant data that they collect,” said REE Under Secretary and USDA Chief Scientist Dr. Scott Hutchins. “When our partners help us to solve agricultural challenges by using AI tools, we’ll unlock faster discoveries with germplasm data and grow better crops that strengthen our food system for many future generations.”

Challenge Planned for Later This Year

USDA said more details about the Agricultural National Science & Technology Challenge will be announced in the coming months.

The challenge will invite innovators to develop practical AI tools capable of integrating multiple types of agricultural data to improve plant science research. Participating teams will have access to the American Science and Security Platform, a shared infrastructure developed by the U.S. Department of Energy that connects datasets, scientific instruments and AI tools to support scientific discovery.

Part of the Genesis Mission

The initiative is part of the Genesis Mission, launched in November 2025 and coordinated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The mission aims to use artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery by bringing together researchers, universities, businesses, data repositories, production facilities and national security organizations.

USDA encourages organizations interested in participating to review the Genesis Mission Executive Order and prepare proposals for advancing germplasm innovation. Additional information about the challenge will be released at a later date.