According to U.Today, renowned author Stephen King has sparked a discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential influence on everyday life in the United States. King, known for his bestselling horror and supernatural novels, recently posted a tweet questioning the origin of hurricane names and whether AI software is involved in the process.
King's tweet, which was shared with his 7.1 million followers, did not provide specific examples but seemed to refer to the practice of assigning male and female names to hurricanes and tornadoes in the United States. The tradition of using human names for hurricanes dates back centuries. In the West Indies, hurricanes were named after the saint's day on which they occurred.
During World War II, storms were initially named using the latitude and longitude of their location, but these names proved challenging to remember and communicate to the public. As a result, meteorologists began naming storms after their wives and girlfriends, a practice that originated in the Pacific. These storm and hurricane names were easier to remember and were eventually adopted for the Atlantic as well.
The World Meteorological Organization later expanded this practice to include both women's and men's names for storms, tornadoes, and other weather phenomena. King's tweet has sparked a conversation about the role of AI in this naming process, although it remains unclear whether AI is currently used in this capacity.
