At the White House, tech and US officials talk

about AI development and electricity needs.

 

Following a meeting between senior U.S. officials and top executives from technology and electricity companies on Thursday, the White House announced the creation of a new task force to address the expanding demands of AI infrastructure.

The task group will coordinate strategies to accelerate data center expansion while evaluating economic, national security, and environmental goals. It will be led by the National Security Council, the National Economic Council, and others, according to the White House.

Among the tech business officials present at the meeting were OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab senior executive Ruth Porat, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

According to the White House, participants talked about how to create data centers and power infrastructure required for advanced artificial intelligence operations while adhering to sustainable energy, regulatory, and workforce standards.

In response to open-ended cues, generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI, can produce text, images, and videos. It has created excitement about its possible applications, such as freeing up time-consuming chores, but it has also raised concerns about possible abuse.

AI can strain the energy industry as U.S. technology companies seek to secure a shrinking supply of electricity for their rapidly expanding data centers.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo also participated in the meeting.

Granholm told Reuters in June that President Joe Biden’s administration was asking technology companies to invest in new climate-friendly power generation to cover their surging demand. The surge in demand from AI could complicate Biden’s target of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035 to fight climate change.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to deepening U.S. leadership in AI by ensuring data centers are built in the United States while ensuring the technology is developed responsibly,” said White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson.

Along with top Biden administration climate officials, participants included National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

According to OpenAI, the discussion demonstrates that the White House understands the importance of infrastructure in generating jobs and ensuring that the advantages of AI are shared widely.

“OpenAI believes infrastructure is destiny and that building additional infrastructure in the U.S. is critical to the country’s industrial policy and economic future,” a company spokeswoman stated.