The Met Office: Forecasting the Future of UK Weather with AI

Since its foundation in 1854, the Met Office has “pioneered the science of meteorology”.

The UK’s national meteorological service is responsible for public weather services, supercomputing technology and running a vast observation network.

Through the Met Office’s National Capability AI Programme (NCAIP) uses pioneering AI technologies to aid in weather and climate science.

Kirstine Dale is Chief AI Officer (CAIO) at the Met Office, aiding in maximising AI’s potential in meteorology.

Who is Kirstine?

Kirstine Dale serves as the CAIO and Principal Fellow for Data Science at the Met Office, where she leads the integration of AI into the organisation’s core operations. 

As Principal Fellow, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of Data Science, including AI and Machine Learning (ML), across the Met Office. 

The Alan Turing Institute is the UK’s independent national institute for data science and AI, headquartered at the British Library. 

Over the past decade, rapid advances in computing power, data availability and scientific breakthroughs, particularly in deep learning and neural networks, have driven the rise of data science and revitalised AI, fulfilling the vision of “machines that think” first proposed by Alan Turing in 1950. 

Beyond her work at the Met Office, Kirstine is Co-Director of the Natural Environment Theme of the Turing Research and Innovation Cluster on Digital Twins.

She also holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Exeter, contributing to research and innovation at the intersection of AI, environmental science and digital modelling.

“As the Met Office’s CAIO I am charged with embedding AI in the Office’s core business: initially the focus is the use of AI in weather forecasting through leadership of the ‘AI for numerical weather prediction’ (AI4NWP) programme,” writes Kirstine Dale, CAIO at the Met Office, on LinkedIn.

To highlight the importance of AI, Kirstine Dale CAIO at the Met Office, is the Opening Keynote Speaker in Forecasting the Future: Embedding AI in the UK’s Weather Service at Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit.

Met Office’s AI use

The Met Office, a global centre of excellence in weather and climate science, is advancing the frontier of forecasting through NCAIP and the AI4NWP programme. 

These initiatives aim to integrate AI and ML into weather prediction, complementing traditional physics-based models with fast, cost-effective and high-resolution ML approaches. 

A key focus is the development of the FastNet Machine Learning Weather Prediction (MLWP) model, which uses graph neural networks to forecast weather patterns, allowing researchers to rigorously compare its accuracy with existing numerical weather prediction methods. 

In 2023, the Met Office launched a groundbreaking partnership with the Alan Turing Institute to accelerate AI4NWP, enabling seven-day forecasts on both regional and global scales while promoting cross-disciplinary research and innovation. 

Through these programmes, the Met Office is enhancing the accuracy, speed and efficiency of forecasts, supporting benefits such as higher-resolution ensemble predictions, improved extreme weather warnings and tailored, timely services for government, businesses and the public. 

By integrating AI into its workflows, investing in skills and culture and collaborating with leading AI partners, the Met Office continues to maintain the UK’s global leadership in weather and climate science while demonstrating the transformative potential of data-driven forecasting.

Can AI be sustainable?

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) raises the question of whether AI can predict tomorrow’s weather better than traditional models is moving from theory to practice. 

According to the WMO, AI is already transforming the global weather enterprise, improving nowcasting of severe storms and forecasting seasonal climate shifts. 

The organisation acknowledges that AI is being applied across the weather-to-climate spectrum through operational pilots, modular forecasting platforms and standards-based tools, enabling countries with varying capacities to leapfrog into advanced forecasting practices.

The United Nations (UN) says that there are “high hopes that AI can help tackle some of the world’s biggest environmental emergencies”.

However, the UN also states that “when it comes to the environment, there is a negative side to the explosion of AI and its associated infrastructure, according to a growing body of research,”

“The proliferating data centres that house AI servers produce electronic waste. 

“They are large consumers of water, which is becoming scarce in many places. 

“They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often mined unsustainably. 

“And they use massive amounts of electricity, spurring the emission of planet-warming GHGs.

Forecasting the Future: AI in Weather at The Net Zero Summit

Kirstine will be delivering a keynote at Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit in London.

Her session is set to explore how AI is transforming weather and climate forecasting, highlighting its role in improving prediction accuracy, speed and efficiency across the Met Office’s services.

During her talk, Kirstine can help to address the positives, and potential negatives, that AI can cause when helping to forecast the future and aid the UK’s weather service.

Attendees can gain insights into initiatives such as AI's use in weather prediction programme and how AI can complements traditional physics-based forecasting and support climate resilience.

Kirstine is set to be joined by leaders in AI, climate science and sustainability to discuss the opportunities and challenges of embedding AI in operational workflows, including its potential to enhance societal safety and support sustainable decision-making.

Join us at Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit on 4–5 March 2026 for this keynote and in-depth discussions on leveraging AI to drive innovation in climate and sustainability initiatives.

Secure your ticket now.