Negotiating intelligence: comparing farmers’ and extension workers’ views on AI through a beyond-human lens

Abstract The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into agriculture is reshaping how knowledge is produced, accessed, and negotiated among rural actors. This study examines how agricultural extension workers and millennial farmers in Indonesia interpret AI—specifically ChatGPT—across functional, relational, and metaphysical dimensions using Q-methodology. A total of 51 participants sorted 40 statements reflecting diverse perspectives on AI. The findings reveal clear contrasts between the two groups: extension workers value AI for its informational efficiency but emphasize its inability to provide contextual judgment, emotional understanding, and moral guidance central to human-centered agricultural communication. Millennial farmers, meanwhile, regard AI as a responsive and low-barrier information partner, yet they also reject the idea that AI can replace empathy or relational trust. These patterns demonstrate that AI is not perceived as a neutral tool but as a communicative actor whose agency is negotiated differently depending on users’ roles, experiences, and expectations. By applying a beyond-human communication lens, this study advances theoretical understanding of how humans assign, limit, or resist machine agency in socio-technical agricultural networks. Practically, results underscore the need for AI literacy and rural digital programs that incorporate relational ethics, contextual adaptation, and differentiated user orientations.