The agricultural equipment giant Deere & Co. is achieving success with artificial intelligence (AI) that should serve as a wake-up call for the healthcare industry, which has been slow to adopt transformative technologies. While Deere consistently impresses experts with its AI-driven innovations, healthcare remains comparatively behind, even when facing similar opportunities for efficiency and improvement.
The Disconnect Between Agriculture and Medicine
Deere’s transition to an AI-focused company began at the turn of the 21st century, evolving through stages of “precision agriculture” to what is now termed “Farming 4.0.” In contrast, healthcare struggled to digitize basic records until federal subsidies forced adoption around 2011, despite decades of computing advancements. This demonstrates a fundamental difference in how the two sectors approach technological integration.
Deere’s AI-Native Approach
Deere has deliberately rebuilt itself as an agricultural tech firm, scaling AI by integrating it into every stage of the customer experience. This includes personalized setup guidance, data-driven recommendations based on past performance, and real-time adjustments prompted by external factors like weather. The company leverages computer vision, satellite data, machine learning, and remote diagnostics to achieve this.
As Deere executive Justin Rose notes, “It’s all about weaving AI into every stage. We’re building an AI-native customer success model that could be applied to any industry.”
The Shift in Power Dynamics
Beyond mere automation, Deere is altering the fundamental logic of value creation by moving decision-making into the machines themselves. This shift, as highlighted by Sangeet Paul Choudary, secures a competitive advantage by transferring power from the farmer to the tool. Deere’s autonomous X9 combine exemplifies this, requiring minimal human intervention while automatically adjusting speed, calibrating settings, and monitoring crop conditions in real-time.
Aaron Wetzel, Deere’s vice president, puts it simply: “You just need to sit in the seat.” The combine operates with 20% to 30% productivity gains, linking Deere’s compensation to improving both quality and economic outcomes—a model healthcare should emulate.
The Contrast with Healthcare’s Approach
While Deere ties its financial success directly to improved outcomes, healthcare’s value-based reimbursement rules remain unclear and slow to materialize. The comparison is stark: Deere optimizes for maximum yield, while healthcare often feels like a mechanistic system profiting from illness.
The Need for Bold Transformation
The article draws a parallel to the early skepticism surrounding farm automation in 1961, yet Deere is now well on its way to a fully autonomous solution. The lesson for healthcare is clear: bold transformation is not only possible but essential. However, given the life-and-death stakes, caution is warranted when granting AI autonomy, as patients are not passive objects like corn stalks.
Despite the differences, Deere’s AI innovations serve as a blueprint for tech companies entering healthcare, demonstrating the vision and persistence needed to reorganize a traditional industry for mutual benefit.
