The Extension Foundation announced on Apr. 17 that it is seeking subject matter experts in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) from the Cooperative Extension System, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and related agricultural research organizations to help evaluate a set of benchmark questions for an artificial intelligence-based advisory system.
This effort aims to ensure that the AI system, known as ExtensionBot, accurately reflects real-world agricultural questions and decision-making scenarios faced by farmers, crop advisors, and Extension educators. The review process will help validate whether the test questions are realistic and relevant for common IPM challenges.
ExtensionBot is designed as a conversational assistant that provides research-based pest management guidance using information from Extension publications and USDA resources. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, this system uses a retrieval-based approach so its responses are grounded in trusted sources. Before using its evaluation dataset—about 100 IPM-related questions—for formal testing of different AI systems’ performance, expert reviewers will assess if these questions represent authentic agricultural inquiries.
Reviewers will not judge AI-generated answers but instead focus on whether each question represents valid scenarios or diagnostic situations typical in agriculture. They will also check for clarity and meaningfulness in wording and flag any items needing clarification or revision. The estimated time commitment is between eight to twelve hours over several weeks with compensation provided.
Artificial intelligence systems are playing an increasing role in providing agricultural information and decision support; however, effective evaluation depends on having well-designed test sets that reflect actual farming practices. By participating in this review process, experts contribute to ensuring realistic pest identification challenges and appropriate treatment contexts are considered during system assessment.
The Extension Foundation supports social well-being by helping families, inspiring communities, conserving natural resources, according to its official website. It works with partners such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, according to its official website, involving thousands of employees across every state and territory. According to the organization, more than two million volunteers contribute nationwide efforts focused on delivering research-based education aimed at improving problem-solving abilities for individuals, businesses, and communities. The foundation also collaborates with public and private organizations to provide needed resources across all regions.
