China orders bloggers to stop posting amateur AI typhoon forecasts

State broadcaster China Media Group reported on Thursday that bloggers identifying as weather enthusiasts have begun posting typhoon forecasts on social media using open-source artificial intelligence weather models. The reports noted that some accounts have started charging fees for location-specific predictions about Typhoon Bavi, which is expected to make landfall in eastern China.

Under the Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China, public weather alerts must follow a centralised release system. Only official meteorological stations are authorised to issue forecasts and severe weather warnings. The broadcaster stated that the rule aims to prevent public confusion during approaching storms.

Thursday evening, one account from Shandong province posted a forecast claiming a 90 per cent chance that Typhoon Bavi could move deep into the province, citing multiple tracking models. China Media Group said the practice has drawn criticism because the forecasts bypass the official channel.

“Public weather alerts are subject to a centralised release system, and official meteorological stations are the only authorised issuers of forecasts and severe weather warnings.”

The same report added that researchers have emphasised the importance of the centralised system for maintaining consistent public information during severe weather events.