Zhitai: China's real-time AI for precise typhoon forecasts

China has unveiled the world’s first specialized AI agent for typhoon forecasting—"Zhitai." The project is a joint effort by the China Meteorological Administration, the Asia-Pacific Typhoon Research Center, the Shanghai Typhoon Institute, and leading research organizations across the country.

The system updates projections of a storm’s track, intensity, and impact zone in real time—down to the minute. "Zhitai" brings together dozens of scientific sources, from national studies to international bulletins on tropical cyclones, and draws on an archive spanning more than 70 years of observations in the northwestern Pacific. That kind of minute-by-minute granularity, anchored in a deep historical record, comes across as a tool built for both situational awareness and methodological rigor.

The AI can automatically interpret weather charts, generate reports, assess whether a typhoon will affect a specific region, and even offer recommendations to mitigate the consequences of natural disasters. Beyond forecasting, it serves an educational role, helping users understand how cyclones form and what sets them apart. Folding guidance and clear explanations into the same workflow could make complex meteorology feel far more approachable.

For now, "Zhitai" is available for open testing on the Smart Station platform, giving anyone the chance to explore the new technology firsthand.