Spelman Students Invent a Way for Plants to Talk with PlantGPT

Captured by NBC News, NY Post, CBS Atlanta and More, the Viral Project Redefines the Future of Gardening through A.I. and Data

A group of Spelman College students have developed an innovative device that allows plants to audibly communicate what they need for their survival. Using artificial intelligence, viral sensation PlantGPT monitors and analyzes plant health data, harvests the intel, then turns it into conversational, user-friendly language.

Hours before their Research Day presentations, Spelman Innovation Lab students Temple Dees, C’2027, and Jessica Obi, C’2027, spoke with NBC News about intricacies of the cutting-edge project. According to the students, PlantGPT fills a gap in gardening to prevent plant failure.

“A lot of people are apprehensive of their plant dying,” said Obi, a computer science major. “When you Google things online...you only get general feedback. It doesn't have specific stats on how your plant is doing.”

Innovation Lab faculty, such as Innovation Lab Director Jaycee Holmes, C’2016, and Assistant Director Eric Thompson, have helped foster a space where collaboration can lead to building true innovation. Since 2023, Thompson, along with four current students and a recent Spelman graduate, collaborated to bring PlantGPT from concept to creation. Other collaborators and creators include Grace Burch, C’2025, Joy Rutledge, C’2025, and Devyn Washington, C’2026.

“The inspiration for it came from this idea of what would happen if you gave your plants some agency in how they were taken care of,” said Thompson. “We try to be intentional about how we’re engaging in space making, and good things will come organically from there."

The possibilities for the future of PlantGPT continue to grow as the students push the boundaries of what’s possible. In the future, the students hope the device can help solve food insecurity, agricultural deficits, and more.

“We hope this project can be used in home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowes, as well as small farmers and urban gardeners,” said Dees, a computer science major interning with GoDaddy this summer.

PlantGPT is part of the rise in smart agriculture, a type of precision farming that leverages technologies like drones, AI, and GPS to enhance farming efficiency, sustainability, and crop yields. The industry is expected to be worth $25.4 billion by 2028.

PlantGPT has also been featured by NY Post, CBS News Atlanta, FOX 5 Atlanta, Black Enterprise and more. Watch the full NBC News interview here.