Google's AI predicts river floods up to 7 days in advance

AI is generating headlines for its tremendous accomplishments and sometimes hiccups, such as Google's recent Gemini mishap. While some people are concerned about AI's rapid advancement and what it implies for society, others believe it has the ability to bring good if employed correctly. And Google's recent move appears to be in the good camp.

Google's AI can anticipate floods up to a week in advance, as shown in a new paper. How? Using data from existing gauges, Google's AI uses advanced machine learning to determine when floods occur and what conditions make them likely. This understanding is then applied to regions where we do not have sufficient data.

Since 2017, Google has been on a quest to transform flood forecasting, motivated by the potential to save lives globally. The business has been doing research and developing a real-time flood forecasting system. The system transmits alerts via Google Search, Maps, Android notifications, and the Flood Hub.

According to Google, machine learning technology can significantly improve global flood predictions, particularly in areas where flood data is poor. Thanks to these AI advancements, the flood forecasting system can now anticipate floods up to five days in advance, even in countries like Africa and Asia, where it was previously a guessing game when compared to Europe.

Despite a few setbacks with AI recently, Google's AI remains a powerful force. Apple is collaborating with Google to include Gemini technology into future iPhone models. With efforts like this, Google is establishing themselves a strong position in the AI industry.