Harvesters, drones, and precision farming systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are quickly entering the mainstream of U.S. agriculture. At its core, the technology promises efficiency and sustainability and carries a potential solution to a decades-old farming problem: the need for physical labor.

As the capabilities of robotics evolve, many jobs that once required human hands are being delegated to machines. Some AI developers working on integrating this technology into U.S. farms say early data support the possibility of a major farm labor force reduction.