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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Helena Horton Environment reporter

Talk to your plants? Now the first AI-powered garden will allow them to talk back

An artist's illustration of the Avanade 'intelligent' garden
An artist’s impression of the Avanade ‘intelligent’ garden, which will monitor soil moisture, nutrient levels, acidity and alkalinity. Photograph: The Royal Horticultural Society/PA

Hardcore gardeners sometimes, when no one else is listening, talk quietly to their prize blooms. But at next year’s Chelsea flower show, visitors will be encouraged to have a chat with its first ever AI-powered garden.

The garden designer Tom Massey has partnered with Microsoft to create the Avanade “intelligent” garden. Sensors in the soil are partnered with an AI trained on Royal Horticultural Society plant data and gardening advice, meaning visitors can ask the garden: “How are you?”

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