OSU Extension reaches new audiences with AI chatbot
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu
Along Main streets and in the center of communities across the state, Oklahoma State University Extension county offices invite the public to stop by with any question, big or small. But for those seeking Extension information online, asking for help just got easier.
In 2024, OSU Agriculture and the Extension Foundation officially launched an artificial intelligence chatbot to reach new clients and connect with rapidly growing digital audiences.
ExtensionBot answers questions based on more than 400,000 Extension publications, articles, fact sheets and program content sourced exclusively from 30 state Extension networks and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The AI tool went live in September on the OSU Extension website and six other Extension system sites after operating in beta testing mode since April.
“OSU Extension wants to use AI to provide information to people in ways they want to receive it as well as to be efficient and effective in the way we work,” said Dr. Damona Doye, associate vice president of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. “Having an AI chatbot on our website that generates responses based on Extension and research publications that are unbiased, research-based and peer-reviewed ensures the integrity of the response. Users will be better informed to ask specific questions of local educators and specialists about their unique situations.”
The chatbot provides Extension educators, volunteers and the public with unlimited access to accurate, practical information in all Extension areas, including agriculture and natural resources, health, nutrition and family resilience.
Whether an Extension educator assisting a client or the public seeking information on a subject, users can type a basic question into the chatbot and receive answers from verified sources. Questions such as, “Which tomatoes grow best in Oklahoma soil?” or, “What maintenance checklist should homeowners follow to prepare for winter weather?” are answered with localized content from OSU Extension specialists.
Initiated and managed by the Extension Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the project is funded by the New Technologies in Ag Extension grant through the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
David Warren, senior director of integrated digital strategies for OSU Agriculture and AI program leader for the Extension Foundation, partnered with the foundation’s IT manager to lead development. The team also worked closely with Extension peers at Oregon State University and the University of Florida.
“The chatbot provides information only from trustworthy, research-based sources,” Warren said. “Our content is all grounded in facts. We built it in a series of steps to be trustworthy by design and the most accurate AI available.”
The tool modernizes OSU Extension outreach efforts by offering a more robust list of resources for Oklahomans and users worldwide. Warren said the AI technology meets stakeholders where they live and work — online.
“We value our digital customers as much as we value the people willing to walk into a local Extension office,” he said. “Our offices are open during business hours Monday through Friday, not at 6 p.m. on a Friday when someone wants to learn how to plant a garden over the weekend. There’s a large, underserved group of Extension clients who do not physically walk into our offices.”
ExtensionBot shares scientific and applied research from Extension specialists to enrich lives, address trends, and recommend methods and strategies that support a vibrant Oklahoma economy.
Ultimately, the Extension Foundation hopes to offer chatbot data from all 50 states and 112 Extension systems in the country.
Photos by: Mitchell Alcala
Story by: Gail Ellis | STATE Magazine