In a first-of-its-kind meeting, top US officials will gather with leading figures in the artificial intelligence sector at the White House on Thursday to tackle a growing concern: how to manage the energy demands of AI development. The meeting will include Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Google’s senior executive Ruth Porat, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, as well as representatives from Microsoft.
This unprecedented discussion will focus on how the public and private sectors can collaborate to ensure that the United States maintains its leadership in AI, while addressing the strain AI’s insatiable demand for electricity could put on the nation’s power grid. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and other senior Biden administration officials will be present, although President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are not expected to attend.
The rise of AI technologies like ChatGPT has sparked concerns about America’s aging power grid, particularly as the Biden administration seeks to shift away from fossil fuels. A single request on ChatGPT consumes ten times more electricity than a standard Google search, according to the International Energy Agency, and AI’s energy use is projected to grow exponentially by 2026.
OpenAI confirmed that Altman plans to use the meeting to highlight how AI infrastructure development—including power generation, data centers, and semiconductor manufacturing—can spur job creation. He is also expected to promote clean energy solutions, such as those offered by Exowatt, a solar energy startup he has invested in.
The meeting comes in the wake of the administration’s July 2023 push for leading AI companies to commit to external testing and transparency measures. Altman will also appear on a special AI-focused program hosted by Oprah Winfrey on ABC later in the evening, alongside former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.
Credit: CNN (Text Excluding Headline)
