AI and Robotics in Agriculture: A Systematic and Quantitative Review of Research Trends (2015–2025)

Abstract

The swift integration of AI, robotics, and advanced sensing technologies has revolutionized agriculture into a data-centric, autonomous, and sustainable sector. This systematic study examines the interplay between artificial intelligence and agricultural robotics in intelligent farming systems. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, swarm robotics, and generative AI are analyzed for crop monitoring, precision irrigation, autonomous harvesting, and post-harvest processing. Employing PRISMA to categorize more than 10,000 high-impact publications from Scopus, WoS, and IEEE. Drones and vision-based models predominate the industry, while IoT integration, digital twins, and generative AI are on the rise. Insufficient field validation rates, inadequate crop and regional representation, and the implementation of explainable AI continue to pose significant challenges. Inadequate model generalization, energy limitations, and infrastructural restrictions impede scalability. We identify solutions in federated learning, swarm robotics, and climate-smart agricultural artificial intelligence. This paper presents a framework for inclusive, resilient, and feasible AI-robotic agricultural systems.