Traditionally, data analysis and theory have been viewed as separate disciplines, each feeding into fundamentally different types of models. Modern deep learning technology is beginning to unify these two disciplines and will produce a new class of predictively powerful space weather models that combine the physical insights gained by data and theory. We call on NASA to invest in the research and infrastructure necessary for the heliophysics' community to take advantage of these advances.

Artificial intelligence (AI) now has the capabilities to predict space weather that is caused by our Sun accurately. Researchers from the University of Graz have created a new neural network that allows for artificial intelligence to reliably predict changes in the Sun's coronal holes from space-based observations. As you already know, the light emitted from the Sun plays a vital role in our existence here on Earth. Additionally, the light from the Sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field can influence our electronics, and in extreme cases, when the Sun blasts Earth with too many charged particles, our electricity grids can be temporarily knocked offline by geomagnetic storms. Now, the researchers have developed a new neural network that examines some of the dark regions on the Sun called coronal holes.