Neural Notes: Australia now has a national rural AI network
This week we’re going rural where AI adoption is slow. The newly-formed Australian Rural AI Network (ARAIN) is working to address this.
Welcome back to Neural Notes, where I look at some of the most interesting AI stories in Australia. This week we’re going rural, where AI adoption is slow. The newly-formed Australian Rural AI Network (ARAIN) is working to address this by offering tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of industries like agriculture, fisheries, forestry and renewable energy.
Leonie Valentine, chief AI officer at ARAIN – which is based out of Morwell in Victoria – has been working closely with regional businesses to show them how AI can be practically applied in their day-to-day operations.
“The design and actual adoption of AI solutions is in single digits right now,” Valentine told SmartCompany.
According to Valentine, rural industries are lagging behind their urban counterparts, particularly in sectors like farming and fisheries, which face unique challenges in adopting new technology.
Valentine emphasises the importance of showing rural businesses what AI can do for them today, rather than focusing too heavily on futuristic possibilities.
“When you’re a small to medium enterprise in rural Australia, you’re everything – chief bottle washer all the way through to CFO and farmhand,” says Valentine.
“So some of the everyday tasks which they might find particularly challenging … all of that’s actually much easier thanks to the AI that’s built into those tools, but most people haven’t been educated on how to even use those things.”
Valentine’s role at ARAIN involves educating and supporting these businesses, helping them see how AI can streamline operations. For example, farmers can use AI tools to optimise processes or automate basic administrative work, allowing them to focus on more critical activities.
“[It’s about] educating those industries on really useful, practical applications for the tools today — ones that aren’t going to cost them a fortune, not take a lot of bandwidth, and solve really simple problems,” says Valentine.
AI being used to manage energy, analyse lobsters
An example of this practical application is RedGridGPT, also based in Morwell.
RedGridGPT spun out of RedGris and focuses on helping businesses manage their energy consumption more efficiently. It does this by using AI to optimise energy distribution and integrate renewable sources like solar and wind.
In areas prone to blackouts, this technology is already making a difference in keeping power grids reliable.
Another case study is Ornatas, the world’s first tropical rock lobster hatchery, which operates from a site in Toomulla Beach, near Townsville. Here, AI is being used to monitor and analyse lobster behaviour, improving yields and making aquaculture more sustainable.
One of the biggest barriers to AI adoption in rural Australia is the lack of technical knowledge. Many small businesses don’t have the resources or expertise to implement AI.
Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic addressed the need for technology in regional and rural areas during SXSW Sydney earlier this month.
“We don’t want that benefit to just be in our capital cities. There are ways that technology can improve lives in regional Australia in getting things done better, faster and cheaper,” Minister Husic said.
He particularly called out agtech as a sector with significant opportunities for growth.
“Agriculture has been such a huge support and pillar in our economy for generations – if we can get things better we can have a win-win,” Minister Husic said.
The Commonwealth is funding four AI Adopt Centres — including ARAIN in Morwell — designed to help SMEs grow their businesses through the responsible use of AI tools.
“Setting up the AI Adopt Centres – like the one in Morwell – [is] massively important to show Gippsland and other parts of regional Australia that using technology can deliver some huge benefits,” he added.
But he also acknowledged the challenges, such as the education gaps.
“We definitely set up these AI Adopt Centres to be able to help small to medium enterprises across the country. Any of the regional AI Adopt Centres that we’ve got, we encourage people to be in contact with them,” Minister Husic said.
“The other thing I have urged AI Adopt Centres to do is to do a lot of outreach so people don’t have to physically visit, they can get online support as well.
Slow and steady in the AI race
Education is central to ARAIN’s mission. Valentine spends much of her time engaging with partners and exploring affordable AI solutions that can be easily implemented by regional businesses. While the progress is slow, it is steady.
“We’re making progress, but it’s slow,” she says.
Valentine acknowledges AI can sound overwhelming, but she insists it doesn’t have to be.
“AI can sound like this big, futuristic concept, but in reality, it’s already here … helping humans to be faster in some of those really mundane tasks,” adds Valentine.
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