Autonomous Drones for Farming with Amr Omar from Precision AI

I am excited to welcome the Head of AI at Precision AI, Amr Omar. Precision AI has recently taken to agriculture by using drone technology to deliver precise herbicide doses to crops that are in need.

In today’s episode, Amr explains why this technology is crucial for the future of farming and how machine learning factors into the process. From being at the mercy of the weather to not being able to distinguish between good and bad crops when they are seedlings, there are many challenges involved with using drones and AI technology for farming, and my guest lays them all out whilst explaining the solutions that he and his team have come up with.

You’ll learn about Amr’s process for developing new machine learning products and features, the non-negotiables he prioritizes in state-of-the-art reviews, what he looks for when building a successful team, his advice for other AI startup leaders, and so much more!

Key Points:

• Introducing Amr Omar as he explains how he ended up as Head of AI at Precision AI.
• What Precision AI does and why this work is so important for farming. 
• The role of machine learning in Precision AI’s technology. 
• Challenges that arise when using drones for farming, and how Amr’s team overcomes them. 
• How Amr makes the drone models generalizable without sacrificing other restrictions. 
• A look at his process for developing a new machine-learning product or feature. 
• What Amr and his team look for and prioritize when doing state-of-the-art reviews.
• The approaches to recruiting and onboarding that have been successful in building his team. 
• How he measures the impact of his drone technology: the field test. 
• Amr shares some advice for other AI-powered startup leaders.  
• How he sees Precision AI impacting the market in the next three to five years. 

Quotes:

“What we offer here at Precision AI is putting only what needs to be sprayed in real-time speed, using drones to kill those that are unwanted, which eventually saves a lot of money. At the same time, it increases the value of the crops coming out of that process.” — Amr Omar

“The flexibility to pivot within the development of a certain feature is what empowers any team that's developing AI-driven applications or products to scale and succeed without facing any unexpected challenges.” — Amr Omar

“Most [problems have] solutions. It's just about how much you are willing to invest in that solution versus the value you're going to get out of that.” — Amr Omar

“We all have this dream big mentality at Precision AI, from the leadership to the junior engineers. We all wish to make something big happen with what we are doing. To be able to achieve that, you need a team of believers.” — Amr Omar

“Bet on the process [and] not on the product while working in machine learning or in AI-driven teams. The process is way more important than the product. The product will come at the end of the day.” — Amr Omar

Links:

Amr Omar on LinkedIn

Amr Omar on Twitter  

Amr Omar Email

Precision AI

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