China farmer loses 10 hectares of sesame crops due to AI advice

A 67-year-old farmer in Anhui Province, China, lost approximately 10 hectares of sesame crops after following chemical application advice provided by an artificial intelligence chatbot.

After previously receiving helpful guidance on fertilization and general cultivation, the farmer trusted the AI's detailed plan for weed and pest control. The chatbot recommended using fomesafen, a herbicide typically used to control broadleaf weeds in soybean crops. Because sesame is also botanically a dicot, the chemical acted as a total herbicide on the field.

The farmer applied the mixture via drone across 150 mu (roughly 10 hectares) without conducting small-scale tests or consulting agricultural technicians. Within one day, the sesame plants withered and died. The estimated financial loss is approximately 150,000 NDT (around 18,000 EUR). Experts note that while large language models can produce professional-sounding responses, they lack a specialized agronomic knowledge base and may fail to understand biological consequences or regulatory restrictions.