China's AI weather agent being deployed globally
Shanghai Meteorological Service rolls out MAZU urban hazard warning system worldwide, sending out alerts, mitigating disasters
A specialized artificial intelligence system developed by the Shanghai Meteorological Service is being deployed across dozens of developing nations to combat increasingly severe urban climate risks, marking a major expansion of China's role in global humanitarian tech.
The MAZU AI Agent for Urban Multi-Hazard Early Warning operates as a critical component of China's national response to the United Nations' Early Warnings for All initiative, which aims to protect every person on Earth from hazardous climate events by the end of 2027.
According to the China Meteorological Administration, the overarching cloud-based MAZU solution — named after the ancient Chinese sea goddess who protects travelers — is already being utilized by more than 40 national meteorological agencies, with seven countries deploying deeply customized versions of the system.
"As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, strengthening early warning systems has become more important than ever," said Yu Jun from the World Meteorological Organization's Regional Office for Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
Yu made the remarks on June 1 in Shanghai at the opening ceremony of the second international training course on artificial intelligence-empowered early warning systems.
"The UN's Early Warnings for All initiative calls for every person on Earth to be protected by life-saving early warning systems. Achieving this goal requires innovation, partnership, and capacity development," he added. "It offers tremendous opportunities to strengthen every component of the early warning value chain, from observations and forecasting to risk assessment, communication and early action."
The MAZU system leverages advanced satellites, radar and localized AI models to execute hyper-local functions, including minute-level disaster data collection and analysis, customized meteorological risk assessments, real-time automated weather alert broadcasting and emergency shelter navigation mapping for citizens.
The solution has seen continuously expanding international application in developing countries to help cope with extreme weather and climate risks. Since 2024, nearly 1,000 participants from over 100 developing countries and regions have received training in China on early warning technologies.
