Technology has taken us into a fascinating future. Today, my watch has more computing power than the Apollo lunar lander. The internet allows me to communicate with people around the world in milliseconds. But it still can’t reliably say whether it’ll rain 30 days from now. Microsoft says its AI may finally have begun unlocking the answer.
The software giant said Tuesday that new technologies developed for its weather prediction tools have begun showing significant improvements. In one independent study from ForecastWatch, which aggregates weather reports for accuracy, Microsoft’s weather technology was “overall (the) most accurate weather forecast provider globally.”
“Extreme weather impacts to people and property are becoming increasingly common, but better forecast data can help,” Microsoft said. The company plans to make its new weather AI available on computers powered by Windows 11 and Windows 10, as well as through its free Microsoft Start news aggregation app.
Read more: Best Weather Apps for 2024
Microsoft’s announcement is the latest in a series from the tech giant about its plans for AI in our lives. In just the last week, the company has pitched its AI tools as a universal language translator, a guide for when we get stuck in video games, and a controversial photographic memory of what we do on our computers.
But the less headline-grabbing features, like weather predictions, may be where it shows much of its promise.
Back in the 19th century, people joked that while everyone talks about the weather, no one does a thing about it. Fast forward more than a century, and comedian Lewis Black argued the true meaning of the word “meteorologist” was “liar.” However, the weather is still one of the top five things people seek out on the internet.
Other companies have attempted to translate the secrets of the skies too. Google has been applying AI to weather prediction as well. And back in 2020, Apple bought the popular weather app Dark Sky for an undisclosed sum, integrating the app’s popular hyper-local weather notifications into its own Weather app for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.
For its part, Microsoft isn’t promising that we’ll be able to track rainstorms to the second, like the imagined “future” from the 1989 movie Back to the Future Part II. But it does believe the improved AI will help solidify Microsoft’s weather predictions, regardless of whether it’s in your Windows taskbar or on your phone. Or at least, it could keep you from getting stuck in a rainstorm unprepared.
Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.
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