Company showcases its new Margaret Professional Assistant tool at event in Almería
More than 180 companies and associations from the Spanish fruit and vegetable sector took part an event organised by Hispatec Agrointeligencia to showcase its latest AI innovations for agriculture.
During the event in Almería, Hispatec presented its Margaret Professional Assistant, due to launch on 1 July, which allow customers to interact in natural language with the ERPagro and Efemis systems.
Users can request any report based on the data recorded in their management systems, receiving it in a matter of seconds. These reports also incorporate information from relevant external sources, such as the Register of Authorised Phytosanitary Products, official cultivation guides, and quality protocols.
Alberto Oikawa, Hispatec’s chief technology officer, commented: “In sectors like agriculture, where the adoption rate of apps by farmers has been and is low, we know that for something to work, it has to be immediate, simple, and natural. And there’s nothing more natural than writing or speaking in your own words, instead of using a keyboard, mouse, and computer screen”.
The company said it opted for WhatsApp as the interface for its systems, “thus democratising their use and also allowing photographs to be taken so that Margaret Professional Assistant can recognise pests or product labels and suggest authorised treatments for the user’s crops”.
Margaret PA also integrates and connects with other AI services developed by Hispatec, such as Margaret Documents, Margaret SatData, Margaret VR for image recognition, and Margaret Planner for automated order planning.
“Studies show that in 60 per cent of jobs, at least 30 per cent of tasks can be automated. Those most likely to be automated are those that involve repeatable physical activities, as well as data processing and collection,” said Gonzalo Martín, chief product & strategy officer of Hispatec Agrointeligencia, during his presentation.
During his presentation, Martín demonstrated the impact on efficiency and expanded possibilities of Margaret Professional Assistant. He interacted in real time with the assistant via WhatsApp, asking it questions via text and voice messages related to the reaction to the appearance of a pest, the company’s financial management, or the organisation of production in a garment factory.
José Luis Molina, Hispatec’s CEO, said: “Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture originates within agriculture itself. Only through knowledge of the reality of our sector and an advanced digitalization process specific to fruit and vegetable production can we generate tools that generate real value for fruit and vegetable producers and marketers. This path our sector is beginning to take requires highly specialised and experienced partners, like Hispatec, to achieve tangible and measurable results”.
