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Can AI help us better predict the weather?
09 September 2026

Can AI help us better predict the weather?

Google DeepMind: The Podcast

About

Can artificial intelligence solve one of science’s most chaotic physics puzzles? In this episode, Professor Hannah Fry sits down with Peter Battaglia, Senior Director of Research at Google DeepMind, to explore how machine learning is transforming global weather forecasting. From providing critical early warnings for Category 5 storms like Hurricane Melissa to predicting renewable energy supply and agricultural impacts, see how models like GraphCast and WeatherNext 3 are building upon decades of numerical physics to reshape our understanding of the atmosphere.

Learn more about WeatherNext 3, our most advanced global weather AI model yet: https://deepmind.google/science/weathernext/

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

00:38 Hurricane Melissa

11:50 Why weather forecasting is hard

14:13 Traditional models vs AI models 

21:55 Probabilistic forecasting 

26:00 WeatherNext 3 

33:00 Future outlook 

43:44 Hannah's reflections 
 

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