Michelle ThompsonTop AI leaders in the U.S. will meet with senior officials at the White House on Thursday to address a critical issue: the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence, which could strain the country’s infrastructure, CNN reports.
Among those expected to attend are Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Ruth Porat, a senior executive at Google; and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, according to a source familiar with the matter. This meeting marks the first time White House officials will engage with tech leaders to discuss managing AI’s substantial energy consumption. The White House plans to outline ways the public and private sectors can collaborate to sustain U.S. leadership in AI while addressing energy sustainability.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and other senior Biden administration officials, along with representatives from Microsoft, are expected to participate. However, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are not anticipated to attend.
The rapid advancement of AI, which requires significant energy, has raised concerns about its impact on the U.S. power grid, especially as the Biden administration works to transition from fossil fuels. While AI has the potential to tackle significant challenges, such as climate change and disease, it also creates complex issues related to its high electricity demands.
According to the International Energy Agency, a single request on ChatGPT consumes around ten times the electricity of a typical Google search. The AI industry is projected to use at least ten times more energy by 2026 than it did in 2023. Goldman Sachs forecasts a 160% increase in power demand from data centers by 2030 due to AI.
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed that Altman will attend the meeting and emphasize how expanding America’s AI infrastructure—such as power generation, data centers, and semiconductor manufacturing—could create jobs. In a recent op-ed, Altman described the competition for AI leadership as “the urgent question of our time,” stressing that while the U.S. currently leads in AI, continued leadership is not guaranteed.
Altman, who has a personal stake in this issue, has invested in Exowatt, a startup focused on using solar power to reduce AI’s carbon footprint. Exowatt recently launched a system designed to generate and store clean energy for AI data centers.
White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson stated that President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to strengthening U.S. leadership in AI while ensuring responsible development and domestic data center construction.
Other officials expected at Thursday’s meeting include White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and climate officials Ali Zaidi and John Podesta.
The meeting follows the Biden administration’s July 2023 initiative, urging AI companies to test new systems externally before release and to clearly label AI-generated content.
On the same day, Sam Altman will appear on a special program about AI on ABC, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, with former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates also scheduled to appear.
