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ExtensionBot here to help

An artificial intelligence chatbot is being tested by Extension programs throughout the country.

Oklahoma State University Agriculture Dean Jayson Lusk tells Brownfield the online tool has been trained using Extension factsheets developed by land-grant universities.

“This is an Oklahoma State product, but it is built on a larger effort of the extension services around the country working together to try get information in the hands of people that need it,” he says.

He says much like people ask Extension for advice, the chatbot will be able to source research-based information in seconds.

“This is not an effort to replace people at all, but a way to broaden our reach and be able to handle more volume of questions than we could handle otherwise,” he says.

Lusk says Extension will also get immediate feedback on what the public wants to know, which will help drive research priorities.

“We can see the questions that people ask and we can learn from that, and we can learn where do we need to be doing more research that the public is really looking for,” he shares.

He says the bot is currently available on Oklahoma University Extension’s website and a full launch is expected later this year.

The ExtensionBot is supported by a partnership of more than 20 land-grant colleges, the Extension Foundation, and the USDA.

AUDIO: Jayson Lusk, Oklahoma State University