WMO faces the future, with action plan on Artificial Intelligence
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Executive Council has agreed an action plan on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of a package of resolutions to seize opportunities and meet challenges in a rapidly changing world.
- Executive Council agrees raft of forward-looking measures
- New joint advisory group on AI will provide oversight and guidance
- EC agrees youth action plan
- Early warnings for All remains top priority
- Maximize efficiency and effectiveness in era of resource constraints
A new Joint Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence will inform WMO activities in relation to the development and use of AI intelligence technologies in meteorology and hydrology. It will seek to accelerate integration of AI into the WMO infrastructure and research activities. There is a special focus on incorporating AI in the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS) – which is the backbone of all forecasting.
WMO will work collaboratively with the public, private and academic sectors in applying AI and machine learning technologies to strengthen the entire weather, climate, water science to services value cycle, according to the EC resolution. It recognizes the revolutionary potential of AI, whilst stressing the need to align with scientific and ethical standards and uphold the role of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services as the authoritative source of public warnings.
“AI is rapidly reshaping how we work, creating a demand for new skills and increased adoption of AI Technology. We need to embrace this challenge, balancing short-term caution with long-term engagement with AI innovation and its expansion,” said WMO President Abdulla Al Mandous.
In other measures:
- EC agreed to accelerate the rollout of the Early Warnings for All initiative – WMO’s top overriding priority.
- It gave its overwhelming backing to gender and youth action plans.
- It endorsed future research and operational activities, including on greenhouse gas monitoring.
- It reaffirmed its commitment to the global agenda, to strengthened partnerships and to raise the profile of WMO within the UN.
It agreed to resolutions to hone the governance and administration to ensure that WMO can maximize its effectiveness and achieve its mandate in an era of resource constraints and growing demands. This includes consideration to the location and resourcing of WMO’s regional offices.
In reflection of the commitment to efficiency, the number of EC documents was reduced by 40% - ensuring that more time could be spent on shaping solutions and driving innovation.
EC established the agenda for an extraordinary World Meteorological Congress in October 2025, focusing on the Early Warnings for All initiative and AI.
Science-based cooperation
“We meet at a time of rising geopolitical complexity. Yet throughout this session, we have seen a clear willingness to focus on what unites us — to build consensus and to uphold WMO as a trusted space for science-based cooperation,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“This is part of what makes WMO’s model so unique: a model — built on cooperation, shared ownership, and Member-driven expertise — that allows us to achieve so much, even with limited resources,” she told the closing session.
WMO President Abdalla Al Mandous said the work of WMO is now more important than ever to help every country and every community face weather, climate and hydrological risks.
WMO celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, with the theme of Science for Action. Its work underpins resilient development, food, transport, energy, security, health, water management and disaster risk reduction.
Rather than purely looking back on past achievements, the 75th anniversary has a forward-looking approach. This emphasizes the value of WMO services to the global economy and society, and the potential to unlock even more benefits for the global good.
Nowhere is this more obvious than AI – and its potential to revolutionize all aspects of meteorology and hydrology.
"I have every confidence that the AI research to operations advancements spearheaded by the USA, China, and Europe will swiftly revolutionize the operations of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) across the globe," said Abdulla Al Mandous.
A WMO conference, “AI for Weather Prediction – Advances, Challenges & Outlook” will take place 9-11 September 2025, hosted by the National Center of Meteorology headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The goal is to unite public, private, and academic sectors to reduce barriers and improve weather prediction capabilities globally. This will be leading to enrich the discussion on a statement on AI at the Extraordinary World Meteorological Congress in October.
Open Consultative Platform
Discussions at EC were based on the outcomes of an Open Consultative Platform which brought together the WMO community, the private sector and academia. This stressed the need for collaboration with private sector and academic partners to harness innovation and outreach, while reaffirming the unique mandate and responsibilities of NMHSs in issuing forecasts and warnings to save lives.
“In light of the roles played by NMHSs and the WMO’s global infrastructure, it is essential that we continue to deepen our mutual understanding and strengthen our collaboration with the private sector and academia. To get the best out of all this, we need to combine expertise in data science, observing systems, earth-system science - hence working together. We are in this together,” said Michel Jean, President of the WMO Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM).
WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System
The EC resolution has a targeted plan to develop technical guidelines on the use of AI-based Earth System prediction technologies in the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS). This is a worldwide network of operational centres operated by WMO Members, which enable scientific and technological advances made in meteorology and related fields to be accessible and exploitable by WMO Members.
- It recognizes that AI may offer transformative potential for advancing the capabilities of WIPPS Designated Centres and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs).
- It notes that there remain considerable gaps in the capability of AI systems to support forecasts and warnings of local high-impact weather systems and hydrological processes which must be addressed, tested and demonstrated for operational use.
- It stresses the need to support NMHSs across the entire globe to recognize the possibilities and challenges of the new technology, to access and to make the best use of the innovations.
A WIPPS pilot study on global riverine flood prediction products will explore how new technologies and data from non-traditional sources can complement existing forecasting capabilities, especially in areas where capacity is limited.
The new Joint Advisory Group on AI will be a joint coordination mechanism among WMO’s INFCOM, Services Commission, Research Board and other bodies. It will include experts from the public, private, and academic sectors.
Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez contacter :
- Clare Nullis WMO media officer cnullis@wmo.int +41 79 709 13 97
- WMO Strategic Communication Office Media Contact media@wmo.int