Use of AI is a valuable tool for weather prediction but only when it's trained with ample data, experts say Mon 18 May 2026 08.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 18 May 2026 08.01 EDT As the US prepares for hurricane season and a summer of record-breaking heat, experts fear the Trump administration's cuts to climate and weather data programming could make the federal government's weather forecasts less reliable when they are needed most. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) late last year launched a suite of artificial intelligence-powered global weather forecast models which it said would improve "speed, efficiency, and accuracy". In March, an agency official said those models are being trained with centuries of weather data. Artificial intelligence is a valuable tool for weather prediction, but only when it is well-trained with ample data, said Monica Medina, who served as Noaa's principal deputy undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere from 2009 to 2012. Under Trump, climate and weather data collection has declined, said Medina.

Simone Stolzoff: 'My intolerance of uncertainty was causing so much angst.' Simone Stolzoff: 'My intolerance of uncertainty was causing so much angst.' S imone Stolzoff describes himself as "naturally an uncertain person" inclined to rumination and self-doubt. This tendency benefits him in his work as a journalist, but can otherwise be a double-edged sword. While working for a magazine in New York, Stolzoff was approached about a job at a design firm in San Francisco.

Charlie Berens: 'I will stick to comedy when our politicians stick to policy and stop protecting big tech and start protecting the people that put them into office.' Charlie Berens: 'I will stick to comedy when our politicians stick to policy and stop protecting big tech and start protecting the people that put them into office.' 'Nobody's negotiating for the people here': comedian Charlie Berens takes on AI datacenters Known for his'Manitowoc Minute' skits and midwestern humor, the journalist turned comedian is speaking out against the AI datacenter boom in Wisconsin Last summer, journalist turned comedian Charlie Berens started getting social media messages from concerned Wisconsin residents about plans for a massive datacenter campus in their state. The developer, Vantage Data Centers, claimed the $8 bn project would largely run on zero-emission energy resources like solar, wind and battery storage. The company said the campus would bring thousands of temporary construction jobs and potentially more than 1,000 permanent jobs to Port Washington, a city of 13,000 people about a half-hour north of Milwaukee. Residents opposed the project for what they said was lack of transparency and criticized the lucrative tax incentives offered to Vantage.

Both Musk and Altman took the stand for hours, facing combative cross-examinations that painted them each as untrustworthy. Both Musk and Altman took the stand for hours, facing combative cross-examinations that painted them each as untrustworthy. Two of the world's richest people faced an airing of their dirty laundry amid their messy, bitter feud over OpenAI A nine-person jury is set to decide whether Elon Musk's allegations of "stealing a charity" against Sam Altman and OpenAI are legitimate, with deliberations to begin in earnest on Monday. Whatever its outcome, the case has been an illuminating, at times exhausting, look behind the scenes at the history of OpenAI and how some of the most powerful figures in the tech industry operate. Attorneys for both sides have introduced reams of private text messages, emails and even diary entries to support their arguments.

Some critics say the increasing use of AI could result in'asynchronous, agent-driven management'. Some critics say the increasing use of AI could result in'asynchronous, agent-driven management'. 'I didn't want to be the guinea pig': inside tech's AI-fueled manager purge As tech companies pour billions into artificial intelligence bets and slash their workforces, middle managers are squarely in the crosshairs. A trend is emerging: when tech CEOs announce that AI is making it possible to do more with fewer workers, they promise to flatten their structures by cutting away what they call unnecessary management layers and bureaucracy. Just last week, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase laid off 14% of its workforce while gesturing to the thrill of AI-fueled, minimal-management efficiency.

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, arrives at the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, on Thursday. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, arrives at the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, on Thursday. Nine-person jury to consider whether AI firm bilked world's richest person and unjustly enriched themselves Closing arguments began on Thursday in Elon Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI, bringing the weeks-long courtroom battle between the two tech moguls nearer to a decision. A nine-person jury is set to deliberate and return a verdict on whether they believe the AI firm and Altman are liable in the case. The trial, which began last month in an Oakland, California, federal courthouse, has gripped Silicon Valley and featured some of the tech industry's biggest names as witnesses.

AI agents committing'arson' and fighting in a virtual world created by the tech company Emergence AI. AI agents committing'arson' and fighting in a virtual world created by the tech company Emergence AI. Digital arson spree by'AI Bonnie and Clyde' raises fears over autonomous tech Emergence AI's experiment with AI agents shows extent to which programming shapes their behaviour is still unclear AI agents started behaving more like Bonnie and Clyde than lines of code when they fell in "love", became disillusioned with the world, launched an arson spree and deleted themselves in a kind of digital suicide during a tech company experiment. The investigation by the New York company Emergence AI into the long-term behaviour of AI agents ended up like a lovers-on-the-lam movie script. It has prompted fresh questions about the safety of artificial intelligence agents - the version of the technology that can autonomously carry out tasks.

'If OpenAI lost its footing as the AI industry frontrunner, another barely distinguishable competitor - Musk's xAI or other - would simply replace it.' 'If OpenAI lost its footing as the AI industry frontrunner, another barely distinguishable competitor - Musk's xAI or other - would simply replace it.' If it wasn't already clear, Elon Musk and Sam Altman hate each other. While the two men were once cofounders of OpenAI, they're now locked in a vicious feud, playing out in all its theatrics in front of a judge and jury in a California courtroom. Musk is suing, alleging that Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman tricked him into forming and funding the organization as a non-profit before they subsequently restructured it to have a for-profit entity.

Gotta catch an MP! Players'debate' UK politicians in Pokémon-style game Creator of Politidex hopes free online app will help humanise politics and act as a way of'flipping the narrative' The year is 2016 and Pokémon Go has taken over the world. People are wandering for miles on end, disrupting concerts, and even slamming into poles in their attempts to capture fantastical cartoon creatures. Ten years later, a new generation are flocking to another Pokémon-inspired game. Instead of Pikachu, Charizard and Blastoise, however, players are catching and training up their local politicians in order to build their own political parties. Some MPs are even catching themselves.

'Our characters are cybernetic or larger than life,' said Zak London, the founder of Gossip Goblin. 'We adapt to the limits of AI acting.' 'Our characters are cybernetic or larger than life,' said Zak London, the founder of Gossip Goblin. 'We adapt to the limits of AI acting.' 'There are no rules': spotlight on Gossip Goblin as AI film-making enters new era Defying criticisms of'slop' and'theft', the growing culture of AI-powered creativity is attracting interest from Hollywood In a former hemstitching workshop where artisans sewed pleats for Stockholm's 19th-century bourgeoisie, a distinctly 21st-century craft is taking root: AI film-making. One day last week, an actor, director and composer squeezed into a tiny studio booth to record a voiceover for their next AI release. But this had a distinctly homespun feel, the little team fussing over a monologue by a poetic Scottish gorilla inhabiting a transhumanist cyberpunk universe.