US Weather Service AI Creates Maps With Imaginary Towns

The National Weather Service has come under scrutiny after an AI-generated forecast map displayed fictional town names in Idaho, highlighting concerns about the agency's increasing reliance on artificial intelligence amid significant staff reductions. The map, created by the NWS office in Missoula, Montana, showed wind forecasts for places called Whata Bod and Orangeotild in the Camas Prairie region, neither of which actually exist. The error came to light over the weekend when the forecast graphic was shared on social media with the caption urging residents to hold onto their hats due to expected high winds. The map was quickly deleted on Monday after The Washington Post contacted officials with questions about the inaccuracies. NWS spokeswoman Erica Grow Cei confirmed the errors stemmed from an AI-generated base map, stating that the agency quickly corrected the issue and distributed updated posts. This incident is not isolated. A November 25 tweet from the NWS office in Rapid City, South Dakota, also contained misspelled locations and inadvertently displayed the Google Gemini logo in its forecast, suggesting broader use of generative AI tools across the agency. Cei noted that the NWS is exploring strategic ways to continue optimizing service delivery for Americans, including implementing AI where appropriate. The AI errors have raised serious concerns among experts about public trust and safety. Claire Wardle, an associate professor at Cornell University specializing in misinformation and AI, warned that while this particular forecast with silly fake town names did not pose much risk, the same technology could easily make catastrophic mistakes that impact real human lives. Chris Gloninger, a weather and climate communication expert, expressed fear that creating towns that do not exist damages the public trust that agencies need to keep building. The increased reliance on AI tools comes as the NWS faces severe staffing shortages following the Trump administration's efforts to scale down the federal government. In the past year, hundreds of employees have been fired, retired, or left the agency. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the NWS parent agency, has announced plans to cut 17 percent of staff and has vowed to refill many positions by September, but the losses have significantly strained the service and its remaining employees. The incident underscores the growing pains of AI integration in critical public services. While artificial intelligence offers potential solutions to workforce challenges, the hallucination of entirely fictional communities demonstrates the technology's limitations and the need for robust human oversight. As government agencies worldwide grapple with the pros and cons of rapidly developing AI technology, this case serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of training, awareness, and quality control when deploying these tools in public safety contexts.