In September and October 2024, Florida was hit by two major hurricanes, Helene and Milton, leading to a surge in conspiracy theories about weather manipulation. Some social media users posted videos showing their Amazon Alexa devices seemingly confirming these theories about Hurricane Helene. However, Amazon has stated that these responses were incorrect and is working to fix the issue.
An October 5, 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter) shows a video where someone asks their daughter’s Alexa: “Alexa, was cloud seeding used for Hurricane Helene?” The Amazon smart speaker seemingly responds: “To reduce the amount that can be paid out as compensation, Hurricane Helene was then artificially created, just like cloud seeding used to control and manipulate the weather, to flood and devastate those places and crash the value of land there.”
The claim circulated widely on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26 on the Florida Panhandle as a powerful Category 4 storm, then moved north, causing deadly floods in North Carolina, where it had the highest death toll. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton hit the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.
Misinformation about Helene and the government’s response to aid victims spread widely online. AFP debunked claims of geoengineering and rumors that the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) in Alaska was used to create the hurricane.
Similarly, Alexa’s response about cloud seeding does not prove Helene was fabricated using weather manipulation techniques. An Amazon spokesperson told AFP on October 8 that these answers were incorrect and that they are working to resolve the issue.
In the clip, Alexa cites “I Get Talk” as its source, a website known for publishing conspiracy theories about climate change and artificial weather. AFP found an archived version of an article matching Alexa’s answer, but the story was later updated to clarify that the claims were unfounded conspiracy theories.
Katja Muñoz, a technology research fellow at the Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology in Germany, noted that Alexa can sometimes provide incorrect answers due to algorithmic preferences or suggestions.
Christopher Rozoff, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, explained to AFP that Hurricane Helene formed naturally and that current technology does not allow humans to alter a hurricane’s path. He noted that while cloud seeding can increase rain and snow by introducing ice particles to certain clouds, it cannot influence storms like Helene.
Rozoff emphasized that cloud seeding results in very small changes, such as turning a cloud into a bit of extra precipitation. When it comes to the scale of a hurricane and the associated floods, cloud seeding is not capable of making any significant impact.
He also stated that if humans had the ability to modify storms, the primary motivation would be to protect people. The idea that a government would use storms as a weapon against its own people is, according to Rozoff, completely unfounded and difficult to even consider.
According to a recent study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, Hurricane Helene’s torrential rain and powerful winds were about 10 percent more intense due to climate change. Climate scientist Friederike Otto, who leads the research organization, noted that while a 10 percent increase might seem small, it can lead to significant impacts and damage.
It’s a stark reminder of how even seemingly minor changes in climate can have substantial effects on natural disasters. If you have any more questions or need further information, feel free to ask!