Proposed bipartisan measure hopes to use AI to TAME extreme weather, wildfire

U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, a Hawai‘i Democrat, and Republican Tim Sheehy of Montana recently introduced bipartisan legislation that would improve and leverage National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration artificial intelligence to better predict and respond to extreme weather and protect communities from its increasing toll.

The TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act aims to:

• IMPROVE accuracy and timeliness of weather, water and space weather forecasts and effective dissemination of critical information.
• STRENGTHEN analytic capacity to inform resource deployments in response to and to mitigate harm from weather, water, wildfires and space weather hazards through the mandated exploration and use of artificial intelligence by federal agencies.
• STRENGTHEN public-private partnerships to accelerate adoption and outcomes of the use of artificial intelligence in response to and to mitigate such harm.
• STRENGTHEN public-private partnerships in highly technical, high-risk and high-reward fields related to weather, water, wildfires and space weather forecasts.

“Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more severe and more deadly, and AI can be a powerful tool in saving lives and livelihoods,” said Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, in an announcement about the proposed legislation. “Our bill will harness AI’s immense processing and prediction capabilities to improve weather forecasts and help communities better prepare for and respond more quickly to extreme weather events.”

The TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act would also direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to:

• DEVELOP a U.S. global weather dataset to train AI forecasting models.
• PARTNER with the private and academic sectors on AI weather and wildfire forecasting, and innovate new AI weather and wildfire products and applications.
• SUPPORT the integration of AI weather models into the forecasts used and relied on by the American people.

“Extreme weather and wildfires cost us hundreds of billions of dollars in economic impact and harm [to] countless Americans each year, yet our government response — particularly to wildfire — hasn’t changed in decades,” said Sheehy in the announcement. “By incorporating leading-edge artificial intelligence into our forecasting and disaster threat prediction modeling, we will have the ability to know where, how big and how bad weather is going to be, and can take preventative measures long before the impact is realized.”

In 2023 alone, the United States experienced a record 28 disasters that caused nearly 500 deaths and cost at least $1 billion in damages each, including to property and crops.

That includes the deadly August 2023 Lahaina wildfire that destroyed the historic Maui community and killed more than 100 people.

The TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act would help better prepare the nation for extreme weather and wildfires by providing forecasts that are improved by integrating traditional and AI weather models.

AI weather models now are dependent on a dataset created and maintained by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The bill bolsters the security of AI weather models by requiring the development of a U.S. weather dataset.

The TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act is also co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, both Democrats.

A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Scott Franklin, a Florida Republican.

“Extreme weather is only getting more severe and more frequent. We need to use every tool at our disposal — including artificial intelligence — to save lives and livelihoods,” said Welch. “By requiring federal agencies to use AI in proactive ways, such as boosting grid resiliency and improving weather forecasts, this bill will allow us to better predict and respond to extreme weather events and mitigate their impacts.”

Franklin added that by encouraging American innovation and uniting the efforts of the federal government, academia and the private sector, the bill ensures the federal government can respond swiftly to natural disasters here at home without relying on foreign data.

“Now is the time for transformational innovation and leadership to prevent future tragedies and protect American families, homes, and communities from disaster quickly and effectively,” said Sheehy.