S. 1378: Transformational Artificial intelligence to Modernize the Economy against Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act

This bill is titled the "Transformational Artificial Intelligence to Modernize the Economy against Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act" or the "TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act." Its primary aim is to enhance the capabilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in weather forecasting using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Here are the main components of the bill:

Purpose and Objectives

The bill seeks to:

• Improve the accuracy and speed of weather, water, and space weather forecasts.
• Strengthen the ability of federal agencies to allocate resources effectively in response to extreme weather events.
• Enhance collaboration between public and private sectors to boost the use of artificial intelligence for addressing risks from weather events.
• Support innovation in weather forecasting and hazard prediction to better understand and mitigate the impacts of wildfires, severe weather, and other related hazards.

Developing AI Initiatives

The bill outlines responsibilities for the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, focusing on the development of comprehensive training datasets necessary for AI-powered weather forecasting. This includes:

• Creating datasets that consist of quality information and metadata relevant to weather forecasting.
• Utilizing existing government datasets to expedite the development of AI models.
• Exploring various AI models for global, regional, and local weather predictions.
• Examining how AI can improve the dissemination of weather warning and information to the public.

Technical Assistance and Best Practices

To ensure the successful implementation of AI in weather forecasting, the bill mandates:

• Providing technical support to forecasters, scientists, emergency managers, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Assessing AI weather models against observational data to establish their effectiveness.
• Creating frameworks in collaboration with various institutions for best practices in forecasting based on AI outputs.

Public Accessibility and Data Management

The bill emphasizes the need for transparency by requiring that:

• Operational and non-operational AI weather models be made available to the public at no cost.
• Data associated with these models, including metadata, should also be accessible, subject to national security regulations.
• The Under Secretary must report on risks related to foreign access to U.S. weather data, analyzing implications for national security and suggesting corrective actions if necessary.

Funding and Appropriations

To implement this initiative, the bill authorizes funding of:

• $311 million for fiscal year 2026.
• $76 million for each fiscal year from 2027 to 2030.

Recruitment and Retention of Expertise

It also addresses the need to retain knowledgeable personnel in the field through innovative recruitment and training strategies to ensure the effectiveness of AI applications in forecasting.

Partnerships for Research and Development

The Under Secretary is tasked with fostering partnerships with academic institutions, private companies, and international entities to advance research in AI for forecasting improvements. These partnerships aim to:

• Deepen understanding of how weather and climate impact society.
• Promote high-risk, high-reward research and develop transformative technology in weather and hazard forecasting.

Long-term Reporting and Evaluation

Lastly, the bill requires ongoing evaluation of the outcomes from AI model implementations, with reports to be submitted to Congress every two years until 2035, allowing for periodic assessments of progress and effectiveness.

Relevant Companies

• GOOGL (Alphabet Inc.): Likely to be impacted due to its involvement in AI technologies that can be applied to weather forecasting.
• MSFT (Microsoft Corp.): Possible involvement in AI services and platforms that support the development of weather forecasting models.
• IBM (International Business Machines Corp.): Their AI and data analytics capabilities may be utilized in the project's implementation.
• AMZN (Amazon.com, Inc.): Has cloud computing services that might support the necessary data management and computational needs.