Accelerating product development through AI prototyping

15 July 2026. Accelerating product development through AI prototyping.

Building successful AI products isn't just about having the right technology. It requires testing ideas early, involving users throughout the design process and validating concepts before investing significant time and resources in development. The CGIAR AI Hub webinar series, Grown by AI Design, explores practical approaches to designing AI products with users at the center.

• Download the presentation.
• Check the answers to the Q&A.
• Try the Genebanks AI prototype

In this second session, the CGIAR AI Hub Service Design team demonstrated how AI-powered prototyping can dramatically accelerate product development. Rather than spending weeks refining concepts through meetings and documentation, teams can quickly create realistic prototypes, gather feedback and iterate before writing production code.

The Genebank AI prototype is an AI-powered platform being developed under the CGIAR AI Hub and the CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator to make the world's largest public collections of crop genetic resources easier to search and use. 

• The prototype integrates genetic, genomic, phenotypic, trait, and passport data from CGIAR's 11 genebanks—holding more than 700,000 accessions of over 3,000 plant species—into a single intelligent discovery platform. 
• By applying artificial intelligence to databases such as Genesys, GRIN-Global, and GIGWA, it enables breeders, researchers, and genebank managers to rapidly identify germplasm with desired characteristics, such as drought tolerance, disease resistance, or nutritional traits, thereby reducing the time and effort required to find climate-resilient crop diversity for breeding and research. 
• The prototype is currently under development, with its first joint design phase launched in early 2026 as part of CGIAR's Digital Transformation Accelerator.

Speakers:

• Lina Yassin CGIAR AI Hub Director CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator 
• Mohamed Sassi AI Service Designer CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator 
• Arwa Manzoor UX & Product Designer CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator

NOTE (GFAiR)

No comprehensive, interactive online map dedicated to Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) across Africa is currently available. While several initiatives have produced valuable spatial datasets, crop suitability maps, or country-level inventories, these are generally static maps or project-specific visualizations rather than a continent-wide interactive platform.

A continental interactive NUS Africa Map could integrate:

1. distribution of indigenous and underutilized crops by country and agroecological zone;
2. ex situ collections (CGIAR genebanks, national genebanks, botanical gardens);
3. in situ production hotspots;
4. nutritional profiles;
5. climate suitability under current and future scenarios;
6. value chains, SMEs, and markets;
7. research organizations, universities, and seed systems; and
8. ongoing projects and Communities of Practice.

Such a platform could build upon existing datasets from Genesys, CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator, FAO-WIEWS, GBIF, Crop Wild Relatives, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and national agricultural research systems, while adding an interactive visualization layer. 

It would fill a significant gap in the current NUS landscape and would complement initiatives such as the CGIAR Genebanks AI prototype by providing a user-friendly geographic entry point for researchers, policymakers, extension services, investors, and value-chain actors.