Smart Net-Zero

March 26, 2026 | Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) |

The CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program has released a policy analysis examining how AI is transforming crop breeding and its implications for food security. Based on a January 2026 roundtable convening companies, research institutes, and international organizations, the analysis identifies three AI-enabled advantages accelerating the breeding process: improved management of large genetic datasets—including so-called "dark data" locked in genebanks—enhanced data collection and analysis through computer vision and robotics, and novel genomic tools that can significantly shorten variety development timelines beyond the current decade-long cycle. The analysis also highlights risks, including unequal access concentrated in the Global North, regulatory misalignment across countries, and the potential for AI advances to deepen existing agricultural inequities. The authors recommend policies that prioritize foundational science, institutional capacity building for genebanks, coherent biosafety standards, and treating crop breeding technologies as tools for international collaboration in the Global South.