Farmer ends up killing 25 acres of his crops after trusting AI on herbicide advice

Sesame seedlings wiped out after bad AI guidance

by · TechRadar

News By Christian Cawley Published 12 August 2026

(Image credit: Pixabay)

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  • A 67-year-old farmer in Chuzhou, China used an AI to find a solution to deal with weeds and pests
  • The chatbot provided incorrect information which the farmer did not verify
  • 24.7 acres of sesame seedlings were inadvertently destroyed

A farmer in the Chinese city area of Chuzhou has learned the expensive cost of relying on unverified AI responses to problems, after its advice destroyed almost 25 acres of crop. The 67-year-old, who had previously expressed misgivings about using AI, was provided with incorrect information by an unnamed chatbot, and failed to verify it before proceeding.

The response to the query – concerning the composition of a pest control agent – was taken at face value, with expensive consequences for the farmer, known as Wu.

A destructive mix of chemicals was recommended by the chatbot, destroying crops as well as weeds and pests, raising questions once more about whether people should blindly trust the responses from AI chatbots.

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An AI instructs

Wu’s problem concerned weeds and pests threatening his sesame crop, planted across 24.7 acres.

Having being initially wary of AI chatbots, his recent experiences had given him some confidence in the technology, he told a local reporter, so asked for help.

The response from the chatbot was to mix “high-efficiency flupyrimethalin” and “flusulfasulfaether” to kill the weeds, and mix it with “thiamethoxazine” and “methyl salt” – a combination that destroyed the sesame seedlings overnight.

Simply verifying the response with an AI-free search, or contacting agricultural technicians, would have avoided the destruction of the crop.

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