Google DeepMind just changed hurricane forecasting forever with new AI model

Google DeepMind announced Thursday what it claims is a major breakthrough in hurricane forecasting, introducing an artificial intelligence system that can predict both the path and intensity of tropical cyclones with unprecedented accuracy — a longstanding challenge that has eluded traditional weather models for decades.

The company launched Weather Lab, an interactive platform showcasing its experimental cyclone prediction model, which generates 50 possible storm scenarios up to 15 days in advance. More significantly, DeepMind announced a partnership with the U.S. National Hurricane Center, marking the first time the federal agency will incorporate experimental AI predictions into its operational forecasting workflow.

“We are presenting three different things,” said Ferran Alet, a DeepMind research scientist leading the project, during a press briefing Wednesday. “The first one is a new experimental model tailored specifically for cyclones. The second one is, we’re excited to announce a partnership with the National Hurricane Center that ...