NEWS · MODELS · #1314
Google AI model ranks #1 in CDC FluSight forecast of 2025–26 flu hospitalizations
The CDC’s end-of-season FluSight analysis found that, of 39 eligible models, Google’s best model most closely matched observed U.S. flu-related hospital admissions for the 2025–26 season (Oct–May). Google says those forecasts were developed using its Empirical Research Assistance (ERA) tool; ERA research was published in Nature and the technology is now available to trusted testers as part of Google’s experimental science tools.
KEY POINTS
- The CDC’s end-of-season FluSight analysis found that, of 39 eligible models, Google’s best model most closely matched observed U.S.
- flu-related hospital admissions for the 2025–26 season (Oct–May).
- Google says those forecasts were developed using its Empirical Research Assistance (ERA) tool; ERA research was published in Nature and the technology is now available to trusted testers as part of Google’s experimental science tools.
WHY IT MATTERS
A top ranking by the CDC’s FluSight ensemble provides independent validation that AI-driven methods (via ERA) can improve short-term disease forecasting and inform healthcare capacity planning.