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The Next Innovations in Cannabis According to AI

The cannabis industry has a tendency to tout innovation, research and development, and even real clinical studies. In reality, there is little funding or actions backing this up, due to a host of issues from regulatory to financial that are taking a toll on the industry. Despite these significant hurdles, this cliché does not apply to all industry players. Indeed, there are creative minds working on technological and digital solutions across many areas of cannabis and beyond. Science and innovation can serve as a catalyst to make the cannabis industry better, and yes, even more profitable. It takes knowledge, vision, and guts to ideate and pursue bold ideas, and see them through a volatile consumer market.

Since artificial intelligence (AI) is all the buzz these days, we asked AI about innovations in the cannabis space. It had some intelligent things to say about the future of innovation in the cannabis industry. The exact query was: “What should be the next technological invention for cannabis?”

Below is the list that ChatGPT came up with and our commentary. For each topic, we used Stable Diffusion to generate images to match each topic by ChatGPT.

1. Automated Cannabis Cultivation: A system of robotics and AI technology that automates the process of growing cannabis, monitoring levels of humidity, temperature, and light with minimal human intervention.

AI’s first suggestion that automated cannabis cultivation is the next technological innovation in the industry doesn’t seem all that innovative. There are several programs and companies that are using, testing, or developing cannabis growing automation. However, if AI is suggesting that robots should be responsible for physically managing cannabis grows, then this would be more groundbreaking. In the cannabis cultivation process, there’s also a need for automated technology that can track and report the approximate well-being of a plant and, most importantly, composition of the active ingredients throughout the plant’s growth cycle (as well as any pathogenic infections).

The predicted chemovar outputs throughout a plant’s growth cycle should be linked to digital models encompassing the curing and production processes, revenue needs, and consumer purchasing trends for companies. As a simple example, let’s examine CBG, which peaks early in the growth cycle. If a company needs to capture more CBG for their new product that is selling well, this type of monitoring and reporting system would not only determine the best harvest time, but also analyze chemical composition throughout the curing and production processes all the way to the finished product. Now that is some AI sci-fi!

2. Cannabis Breathalyzer: A pocket-sized device that can quickly and accurately measure cannabis intoxication levels in a person's breath, similar to a breathalyzer for alcohol.

One inherent flaw with using cannabis breathalyzers is that cannabis levels do not impair individuals the same way alcohol does. Hence, to assess impairment on site, in addition to ‘cannalyzer’ a digital psychometric analysis test would need to be included in determining how incapacitated a person really is – a complex counterpart to a typical alcohol road test often done in conjunction or prior to using an alcohol breathalyzer.

Another flaw in relying on ‘cannalyzer’ alone is that alcohol vapors and smoked cannabis do not behave the same way. In fact, having an oral type of strip preparation may be more effective at measuring the type of cannabis or cannabinoids consumed. Overall, this section should graduate to a multifunctional, smart digital detection system that could use AI to perform a psychometric analysis avoiding inherent human biases.

3. Smart Vaporizer: A vaporizer that uses IoT technology to track usage, dosage, and monitor the temperature for optimal vaporization of cannabis products.

Vaporizer, nebulizer, or even a nasal delivery system would all be very valuable, especially for medicinal applications. Tracking the usage and dosage can be accomplished with a simple Bluetooth system. There are many patented systems and devices for delivery and tracking of precise doses of cannabinoids at controlled temperatures. However, cannabis marketplaces (medical, adult-use, and hemp-derived) are flooded with inexpensive, rudimentary electronic vaporizer devices, typically manufactured in one country - China. As a result, the challenge for these smart, advanced devices is obtaining widespread adoption by relying on high cost and geographically centralized manufacturing that will have difficulty scaling up to meet global demand. Ultimately, this particular smart AI technology should become accessible, reusable, and available for manufacturing in various parts of the world.

4. Cannabis Testing Kits: Portable testing kits that can be used at home to measure the potency and quality of cannabis products, ensuring safe consumption.

Affordable at home cannabinoid potency testing kits would undoubtedly be an asset. Particularly, as it applies to jurisdictions that allow for individuals to grow their own cannabis plants and make products for personal use. Linking educational and professional advice with these cannabinoid potency testing kits would create even more value. It would allow medical cannabis patients in conjunction with their health care professionals (and smart devices) to track and discover the most optimal formulations and treatment regiments. Despite its value, it is doubtful that this type of technology would be adopted by the recreational adult-use cannabis sector, where like alcohol, the purpose of usage is different. Rarely do we see at home alcohol potency testing devices and most cannabis users rely on manufacturers that test cannabinoid potency levels in third party analytical laboratories.

5. Nano emulsion Technology: A technology that breaks down cannabinoids into small particles that can be easily absorbed by the body, which could lead to quicker onset effects and better bioavailability.

Spot on, AI about nano emulsion technology, however nanoparticle technology would be a more apt description. Nano emulsion is just a form of nano particularization typically used in beverages and cosmeceutical applications. [1] The idea here is that nanosized particles (1 to 100 nanometers in size) are better at penetrating into skin or other absorptive tissues, such as in the digestive system. The reference section below cites a thoughtful review on nano emulsion in the cosmeceutical industry. [2]

6. Cannabinoid Delivery via Transdermal Patches: Transdermal patches that deliver a controlled dose of cannabinoids into the bloodstream through the skin, minimizing the risk of lung damage or smoking-related illnesses.

Excellent idea, however, the first question that comes to mind is – why aren’t transdermal analgesic patches widely used today? Patches would help individuals that otherwise cannot consume cannabinoids via ingestion or inhalation. Another advantage is that these patches bypass the digestive system metabolism and likely cross into the brain within a few minutes, rather than tens of minutes or even hours (a typical time at which maximal concentrations of cannabinoids are detected in plasma or brain tissue). So, as AI stated, widely available and accepted patches would likely reduce the inhalation of active ingredients, such as cannabinoids, without subjecting the actives to digestive and secondary metabolisms. Undoubtedly, the combination of transdermal delivery system together with the nanosized active ingredient particles would be a powerful tool for delivery of any medicinal substances, starting with already widely used analgesics.

7. Blockchain-Enabled Seed-to-Sale Tracking: A blockchain-based system that can track the entire supply chain of cannabis products, from cultivation to sale, ensuring transparency and quality assurance.

It seems that seed-to-sale blockchain tracking already exists - but is it fully operational for cannabis? Is there an available distributed network for tracking seed-to-sale? Yet, as AI stated, this type of system would provide for greater transparency (of the active ingredients) and quality assurance in a digital format, eliminating the potential for human error. Just like a newborn starting to develop its neural network, it will need to grow and evolve to be an intelligent tracking system.

In sum, AI appeared to identify the key cannabis innovation concepts, some of which are broadly applicable in other markets. Other important cannabis innovation tools undoubtedly exist and are currently being developed. In fact, discussions are underway with AI as this article is written and published. These types of engagements are key to developing a better AI. Concepts shared with AI, like this article, will hopefully make it more understanding and smarter when addressing real world issues. Will it be so intelligent that it will grow, analyze, roll, dab, measure your responses to cannabinoids, and predict how you will feel a week from that moment all at once? Will humans use AI robots in everyday life, including guiding their cannabis consumption regiments? Even though it sounds sci-fi, it should serve as a catalyst to start embracing the technology by teaching and telling AI what to do, rather than fearing or igorning it.

Copyright Bluebonnet Wellness 2023 © by Adendox, LLC.

REFERENCES:

1. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128166772000144?via%3Dihub)

2. Nerio, L. S., Olivero-Verbel, J. & Stashenko, E. Repellent activity of essential oils: a review. Bioresour Technol 101, 372-378, doi:10.1016/