WMO AI Conference: AI for Weather Prediction, Advances, Challenges & Future Outlook

Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies are transforming the way in which environmental datasets can be used to drive Earth system forecast models and deliver services.    

The integration and application of these technologies offers a transformative opportunity for many more WMO Members to develop their own weather prediction capabilities with consequential improvements to meteorological, climatological, hydrological, marine and related environmental forecasts, services and warnings of hazardous events.    

Forecasts based on utilization of AI/ML are emerging with major developments by private sector technology companies, based in part on data sets provided by national and international public sector organizations. The research and operationalization of new approaches is expected to continue to accelerate in the coming decade, providing new opportunities for meteorological, climate and hydrological services at an unprecedented use scale using public sector produced data sets including innovative new ones, through an expanding community driving the development of AI/ML solutions in National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) and the research sector. The joint contributions of industry, academia, WMO global and regional data producing centres and NMHSs have already yielded promising quasi-operational prediction systems.      

The integration of AI/ML and big data technologies is also transforming how businesses engage with weather and climate service providers. By using AI-driven analytics and real-time data, businesses and NMHSs will be able to automate and optimize weather-driven decision-making across a range of critical sectors. Broadly across both public and business service lines, these technologies are offering avenues for new services and service delivery mechanisms.   Clearly, there is tremendous potential to both lower the barrier to entry for WMO Members and to support uplifting their weather prediction capabilities. The time to do so is now. Public and private sectors and academia can realize this potential by working together to accelerate the realization of benefits from these new technologies.