The Arthur M. Blank Spelman Innovation Lab has produced another technological advancement.

The makerspace at Spelman College was created for creative inquiry, unconventional research, experimental pedagogy, and exploratory play, according to its website. It energizes students in art, science, technology, and engineering and provides tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, 4-axis CNC routers, and 3D scanners.

PlantGPT

Now, several students and alumni have used the lab to develop a project that improves plant health, called PlantGPT.

Assistant Director and Lab Manager Eric Thompson and class of 2024 biology graduate Grace Burch started the project in August 2023. Others involved in the PlantGPT project include game development major Devyn Washington and computer science majors Joy Rutledge and Temple Dees.

Now, they’ve built an AI-powered conversational assistant focused on plant health, intended for current and prospective plant and crop owners. The project is testing on a beginner-friendly succulent plant, according to information shared with AFROTECH™.

Dees’s frequent visits to the lab caught the attention of co-director Jerry Volcy, Ph.D., who onboarded her to assist with the research. Dees later invited computer science major Jessica Obi to join the project. They serve as innovation lab fellows.

AFROTECH™ spoke with Obi, Dees, and Rutledge about the project and their involvement.

Rutledge is minoring in food studies and described having a “hyperfixation” with plants, which played a role in her onboarding. She has a money tree and a monstera houseplant, and also has access to a family farm spanning 12 acres in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, called Songbird Farm, which grows various foods and plants.

“I love to get people involved in plants and botany and understanding plants have life … Anything to get people more educated and aware about plants and ecology,” she told AFROTECH™.

Neither Dees nor Obi owns plants. Their fascinations lie more in web and app development. Dees brings experience from Santa Rita High School in Tucson, AZ, where she launched an app to help students overcome procrastination. Since then, she has made it her mission to create apps that help others. Obi also credits her high school years for sparking her interest in tech, particularly in web development.

Each of the three students has a distinct role in developing and testing PlantGPT. Currently, the technology uses four sensors to collect data on light intensity, humidity, temperature, and soil moisture, all to make plant care easier. Rutledge helps to determine which sensors are required and what information should be collected to ensure the plant’s health.

“However, the plant isn’t just automatically talking to you. As of right now, how we have it set up is that you talk to the plant first, and then it periodically collects data,” Rutledge noted. “So with the most updated information, it gives you specialized feedback on what it’s experiencing at that moment.”

Dees and Obi assist with software engineering and web development, with a focus on launching a web app so it can become a “fully fledged product,” Dee said.

“Right now, we’re running our local LLM (large language model) on a computer, and we’re collecting the data using sensors, which gets sent to that computer, and then the LLM. Then it tells you exactly how to take care of the plants, and the web app is coming in the future,” Dees said.

Looking ahead, Rutledge said the vision for the technology will expand beyond prospective plant owners to farmers in an effort to address food insecurity. By targeting the agriculture sector, the tech could help solve issues related to resource management, including detecting whether soil can store carbon, ensuring water sufficiency for crops, and addressing factors such as air quality and temperature.

PlantGPT has received support from various pitch competitions, including the Center for Black Entrepreneurship’s first annual New Venture Competition in 2025. The project earned a $1,000 prize.

Spelman Innovation Lab fellows are also paid $20 per hour, which has helped support the project.

Spelman Innovation Lab Director Eric Thompson, along with Spelman College professor Jaycee Holmes, were also cited as key resources for the project.