Through NC State Extension and partners across the university, NC State is testing, teaching and applying AI with communities, farms and public organizations across North Carolina.

From Knowledge to Application

How public impact takes shape:

1. Start with local needs: Extension agents, students, faculty community educators and public partners bring firsthand knowledge of the questions people are trying to solve.
2. Build across disciplines: Researchers combine subject expertise with data science, engineering and responsible AI practices.
3. Test in real settings: Growers, residents and public organizations help evaluate whether an approach is useful, understandable and ready for broader use.
4. Share what is ready: Extension education, publications and local relationships help move tested knowledge beyond campus without overstating what a tool can do.

Explore our impact

From Sensors to Solutions: NC State Extension Uses Real-time Data to Help Protect Farmers’ Livelihoods

Eastern North Carolina farmers face threats from flooding, increased soil salinity and saltwater intrusion that destroy crops, endanger livestock and damage expensive farm equipment. To help address these challenges, researchers with NC State University’s North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative and East Carolina University are collaborating with data and AI leader SAS on a pilot project exploring affordable, field-ready agricultural sensor systems designed to deliver timely, data-driven insights to growers.

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AI Meets Agriculture: Smarter Sorting for Sweetpotatoes

NC State researchers are taking the guesswork out of agriculture with AI — and their target is the humble sweetpotato, North Carolina’s nation-leading crop.

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Water Wise: How AI Could Safeguard Water Quality

Yara Yingling has a message for North Carolinians: AI could help safeguard the state’s water.
As Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor and a materials science expert at NC State, Yingling uses AI to address one of North Carolina’s most pressing environmental challenges — safeguarding groundwater quality.

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Fybe and Bertie Cooperative Extension Partner to Bring Senior Planet “Exploring AI” Lunch and Learn Series

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the global economy, a new partnership in Bertie County is ensuring rural residents aren’t left behind. Fybe and the Bertie County Cooperative Extension have joined forces for their second public-private partnership: a four-part “Lunch and Learn” series titled Exploring AI.

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Helping Pender County Residents See AI as a Practical Tool

A Pender County Extension workshop helped 15 residents explore generative AI, trusted information, privacy and personal data. Twelve participants reported greater confidence and 11 reported significant skill gains

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Supporting In-Season Blueberry Yield and Maturity Estimation Using Computer Vision Model and Field Images

NC State researchers, Extension agents and growers evaluated a deep-learning application that uses smartphone or handheld images to distinguish ripe and unripe blueberries. Testing occurred on commercial farms with different sizes and production systems.

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Building Smarter: How NC State’s Kevin Han Uses AI to Revolutionize Construction

Kevin Han, associate professor and Edward I. Weisiger Distinguished Scholar in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering is investigating AI tools to clear construction hurdles.

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Testing crop-monitoring technology on farms

Extension agents in Onslow County and other counties beta-tested AgerPoint software designed to identify growth stages in corn, soybeans and cotton. Agents compared the AI-generated information with manual measurements.

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Preparing Extension agents to translate agricultural AI

Fifteen agricultural Extension agents participated in an AI workshop. Most belonged to an N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative network representing 32 counties. Agents explored tools for plant identification, nematode analysis and agricultural measurements.

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University expertise, rooted in North Carolina.

With 101 local centers serving every North Carolina county and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Extension connects communities with university AI expertise and resources.

Learn more about Extension’s statewide network