Will AI have a positive or negative effect on the cannabis space in 2024?
Nohtal Partansky | Founder and CEO | Sorting Robotics
“Positive. How can having an AI overlord ever go wrong? Seriously though, AI will affect the whole value chain from crop steering to branding at retail. We’re going to see better weed grown, more efficient supply chains, and more interesting brand engagement. I’m excited for it.”
Christine Smith | CEO | Grön
“The impact of AI on the cannabis landscape has the potential to be overwhelmingly positive. AI stands poised to decipher vast datasets, identify trends, optimize supply chains and uphold product quality standards. However, it is essential to navigate concerns related to data privacy, job displacement and potential biases. Finding a balance and deploying AI ethically will be pivotal in ensuring it’s used to benefit the cannabis industry.”
Pete Gallagher | Co-founder and CEO | Insa
“We think artificial intelligence will be a positive for the cannabis industry in 2024. At Insa, we have already started to adopt AI solutions and realized efficiencies. As the technology improves and more of our team members adopt it, we continue to find applications and productivity improvements.”
Elmar Mair | CEO | Neatleaf
“AI will definitely have a positive effect on the cannabis space, particularly making indoor grows and greenhouses more sustainable in their practices. The future is here, and it is in data-driven precision agriculture. With leaf temperature, plant stress, bud count, plant height and more captured down to every last plant (the naked eye can’t do this), all by robotic systems like Neatleaf’s Spyder, efficiency will become the name of the game.”
George Sadler | Co-founder and CEO | Gelato Canna Co.
“I don’t think AI will have a positive or negative effect in 2024, but AI is coming to all industries and it is up to the consumers to use it wisely.”
Marlon Coburn | CEO | THC Design
“AI’s role in the cannabis industry is increasingly positive. It will offer advancements in cultivation techniques, supply chain optimization and customer experience enhancement. For THC Design, leveraging AI can lead to more efficient operations and better product insights, keeping us at the forefront of technological integration in the industry.”
Jerry P. Griffin | Vice president | Baymedica
“I have some tech experience in my background so, to me, AI means something a little different — I think. We used to talk about Big Data, which was effectively large, unstructured data sets that could be analyzed if there was enough compute power (AI) to find patterns and draw conclusions. Back then, I felt as though if the compute power could catch up and crunch these data sets (which would consist of human genetic variances, individual ECS variances and the millions of potential cannabinoids combinations that can be formulated), it could inform the efficacy of cannabinoid or cannabinoid combinations. That still may be true now that the compute power exists. The flaw in my hypothesis was that there has to have been enough research done and data created for the machines to analyze. All that said, whether it be 2024 or just beyond, there will be a convergence of AI and data from cannabinoid research that will inform us about the true power of cannabinoids, combinations of cannabinoids and how formulations can be tailored to an individual’s need state, genetics and ECS.”
Arthur de Cordova | Co-founder and CEO | Ziel
“In the near term, AI will have a positive impact on the cannabis industry by bringing predictive modeling and QA/QC tools to cultivators, helping improve quality and consistency as well as operational efficiency.”
John Yang | Co-founder and CEO | Treez
“We believe AI will have a positive impact on the cannabis space. The cannabis industry still relies on a significant amount of manual processes. In this context, we believe that AI has the potential to revolutionize the way retailers operate by providing sophisticated insights into customer behavior and proprietary data. This, in turn, will empower businesses to delve into core key performance indicators and make well-informed, deliberate decisions.”
Kevin Hart | Founder and CEO | Green Check
“AI is a broad term. It encompasses a host of foundational technologies that form the basis for even more specific transformational technologies. These secondary technologies are what will truly determine the adoption and impact of AI on the cannabis industry. I’m sure, like most technology, both good and bad will come from it for the industry, but it’s likely to be significantly more on the ‘good’ side. Just remember ‘buyer beware’ on whether the hype can match the promised results.”
Howard Schacter | Chief communications officer | MariMed, Inc.
“There are implications for AI in every aspect of cannabis across cultivation, operations, marketing and more. Used correctly, AI will become a critical and powerful tool that will help all of us save time and money and deliver better customer experiences.”
Tyler Rauert | Senior counsel | Fortis Law Partners
“I think it will have a positive impact in 2024. Look to late 2024 or 2025 for the negative unintended consequences to hit the news.”
Alex Boone | Managing director | Botani
“AI could help streamline manufacturing processes and enable higher levels of product consistency. That being said, AI could also negatively impact job growth.”
Ali Garawi | CEO | Muha Meds
“There isn’t enough public data yet on cannabis for AI to properly take on the tasks of the workforce. I believe it will lead to negative effects, such as more absent-minded staff who depend on AI, inaccurate product descriptions and explanations for consumers, and a barrage of even more meaningless fancy words by AI to confuse consumers. However, this does not mean it will still work in the favor of the businesses that utilize AI. They will likely cut their costs on payroll and be able to get projects off the ground faster … while sacrificing quality.”
Katie Enright | Founder | Lavinia
“The future looks promising. AI integration is set to be a game-changer, allowing consumers to navigate the vast cannabis landscape effortlessly. Picture personalized experiences where AI tailors recommendations based on individual needs. Because we’re an industry that not every state and country is ready to embrace, the cannabis industry lives constantly in the future and on the cutting edge. It’s one of the things I love most about this industry — being able to utilize technology and nature to improve people’s wellbeing.”