China's newly launched AI agent for multi-hazard early warning already piloted in countries around the world

The MAZU-Urban, an artificial intelligence (AI) agent for multi-hazard early warning launched by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Saturday in Shanghai, has already been used on a trial basis in 35 countries and regions, with its functions constantly upgrading, exemplifying the extensive application of Chinese AI in global disaster prevention and mitigation.

The CMA launched MAZU, a joint initiative for "early warnings for all," and donated MAZU-Urban to Djibouti and Mongolia during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) on Saturday in Shanghai.

Within the scope of MAZU, MAZU-Urban was collaboratively developed by the Shanghai Meteorological Service (SMS), the National Meteorological Center of CMA, China United Network Communications Company Shanghai Branch, the Shanghai Institute of Science and Intelligence, and the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

As the urban user-end component of the CMA's early warning support operational system, MAZU-Urban is powered by AI technology and integrates advanced algorithms with multi-source data. It is equipped with cloud-based early warning system products, meteorological open-source models, and the African regional model developed by the SMS. According to its developers, the intelligent agent has been upgraded from a purely software-based system to one that also includes hardware components during trial use in various countries.

In Pakistan, the AI agent has significantly improved the forecast efficiency of local weather authorities, enabling near real-time updates of meteorological forecasts and disaster early warnings by incorporating local alerts.

Last month, an international training course on AI-empowered early warnings for all was launched in Shanghai, bringing together trainees from 21 countries and regions, including Jordan, Chad, and Mauritius.

China's newly launched AI agent for multi-hazard early warning already piloted in countries around the world

U.S. economic activity rose slightly in most districts, with three regions reporting no changes and one region experiencing a moderate decline, the U.S. Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book released on Thursday.

This indicates an improvement compared to the last three reporting periods, during which most regions reported little change in economic activity, according to the Beige Book.

It shows that the outlook for future activity is mildly optimistic, with most expecting slight to modest growth in the coming months.

Most banks reported that the consumer spending went up slightly over the holiday season, buoyed by strong spending from higher-income consumers. Employment was mostly unchanged in the most recent period, with eight of the twelve districts reporting no changes in hiring. Prices grew at a moderate rate across a large majority of districts, with only two districts reporting slight price growth, the survey said.

Cost pressures resulting from tariffs were a consistent theme across all districts, it said.

The Beige Book, officially known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, is a survey on economic conditions based on information collected from its 12 regional reserve banks. It is published eight times per year.

US economic activity shows moderate growth amid inflation pressure: Fed Beige Book