From autonomous robots to AI-driven large language models, cutting-edge technologies are transforming farms in Beijing's tech highland Haidian District into futuristic hubs of precision and sustainability. At an AI-powered vertical farm, lettuces are growing in a 19-tier high-tech high-rise. "Harvesting happens layer by layer here，while one level is being picked, another is being planted, creating a seamless cycle. With 19 tiers, each has its own serial number. Even the nutrient delivery is fully automated and industrialized. Sensors track the solution's 16 essential ions, monitoring nutrient solution concentration levels," said Wei Lingling, director of the Key Laboratory of Leisure Agriculture under China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The remote control system collects all plant growth data in real time and displays it on the central dashboard for monitoring. Modern farming has evolved far beyond manual labor; it is now a high-tech operation. As production processes become digital, the entire agricultural sector is undergoing informational and intelligent transitions. It also requires a significant amount of brainpower, both human and artificial. In a landmark move, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Xiong'an New Area in Hebei Province and China Telecom jointly developed Xiong Xiaonong, literally meaning "Xiong'an's Little Farmer," which is China's first agri-focused large AI model powered by DeepSeek. "Xiong Xiaonong now offers services from agricultural Q and A, services, and planting decisions to production management and market analysis, forming a full digital service loop. Unlike general AI models, we've tailored this system to Xiong'an's key crops like sweet potatoes, wheat, and tomatoes," said Yang Yi, deputy director of Rural Revitalization Research Institute of China Telecom. According to Yang, family farming cooperatives and small-to-medium scale farmers stand to benefit most from this AI assistant, as they often rely on personal experience rather than industrialized systems. "I think this AI system is ideally suited for family farming cooperatives and small-to-medium scale farmers with production capabilities. While large commercial farms already operate with their own industrialized systems, smaller producers often rely primarily on personal experience and traditional knowledge," he said. The integration of AI marks the beginning of a transformative era in smart agriculture. The technology is also revolutionizing crop disease management. Instead of manually inspecting every plant, smart glasses equipped with HD cameras can capture images and compare them against massive databases, enabling rapid disease identification. "Take wheat diseases: before, technicians had to painstakingly examine every inch of each plant, from bottom to the top. Now, AI glasses with HD cameras zoom in, snap photos, transmit and match them against thousands of images in our database, making disease identification immediately clear," said Xu Shiwei, principal scientist from the Institute of Agricultural Information of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. SHOTLIST: Beijing, China - Recent 1. Various of AI-powered vertical farm, plants; robotic arm operating in farm; 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Wei Lingling, director, Key Laboratory of Leisure Agriculture, Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (starting with shot 1/ending with shots 3-4): "Harvesting happens layer by layer here，while one level is being picked, another is being planted, creating a seamless cycle. With 19 tiers, each has its own serial number. Even the nutrient delivery is fully automated and industrialized. Sensors track the solution's 16 essential ions, monitoring nutrient solution concentration levels."; 3. Various of plants being cultivated; 4. Various of equipment; 5. Various of screens showing plant growth data; China - Recent 6. Various of plants in farm; people holding up plant; FILE: Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, north China - February 2025 7. Meeting in progress; FILE: China - Date Unknown 8. Animation showing logo of Xiong Xiaonong, China's first agri-focused large AI model powered by DeepSeek; China - Recent 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Yang Yi, deputy director, Rural Revitalization Research Institute, China Telecom (ending with shots 10-11): "Xiong Xiaonong now offers services from agricultural Q and A, services, and planting decisions to production management and market analysis, forming a full digital service loop. Unlike general AI models, we've tailored this system to Xiong'an's key crops like sweet potatoes, wheat, and tomatoes."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 10. Log-in interface of Xiong Xiaonong; 11. Various of website of Xiong Xiaonong; 12. Various of people typing, using phone app; China - Recent 13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Yang Yi, deputy director, Rural Revitalization Research Institute, China Telecom (partially overlaid with shot 14): "I think this AI system is ideally suited for family farming cooperatives and small-to-medium scale farmers with production capabilities. While large commercial farms already operate with their own industrialized systems, smaller producers often rely primarily on personal experience and traditional knowledge."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 14. Website of Xiong Xiaonong; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: China - Date Unknown 15. Aerial shots of farmland; China - Recent 16. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Xu Shiwei, principal scientist, Institute of Agricultural Information, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(starting with shot 15): "Take wheat diseases: before, technicians had to painstakingly examine every inch of each plant, from bottom to the top. Now, AI glasses with HD cameras zoom in, snap photos, transmit and match them against thousands of images in our database, making disease identification immediately clear."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 17. Various of plants in farm; 18. Aerial shots of fields, pond. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]