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Newly introduced legislation in Congress aims to advance American leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) by establishing a program at the Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the department's use of the technology in the areas of energy, national security, and science.
“As AI technologies take the world by storm, the United States must respond quickly and effectively before our adversaries do,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), who introduced the bipartisan Department of Energy AI bill, S.4664, on July 10.
Among other provisions, the proposed bill would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin rulemaking on the use of advanced computing techniques to speed up interconnection queue processing.
Specifically, within 18 months of the bill's enactment, FERC will initiate rulemaking to revise the format of large generator interconnection procedures and require utility transmission providers to share and adopt queue management best practices regarding the use of computing technologies, including AI, machine learning, and automation, in evaluating and processing interconnection requests.
According to the bill's language, the purpose is to expedite the results of investigations into such requests.
The DOE would also be required to study the growth and power load of computing data centers under the measure.
And because DOE is already developing cutting-edge AI models such as those used to address critical material challenges and emerging nuclear security missions, this bill would further build on that work by authorizing DOE’s Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative.
A network of AI research clusters will also be built on the existing ecosystem at the 17 national laboratories and 35 user facilities overseen by DOE.
“The Department of Energy and its network of national laboratories are ready and capable of taking our nation to the next level of scientific discovery and global competitiveness through safe and responsible AI innovation,” said Manchin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. “Leveraging our existing laboratory infrastructure and scientific expertise for AI rather than starting from scratch protects taxpayer dollars and allows us to move quickly.”
Manchin said the bill would also establish an AI Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program, leveraging the Department of Energy's research scientists and advanced computing resources.
At the same time, the bill's provisions require the Department of Energy to develop a strategic plan with specific short-term and long-term goals for advancing the application of AI for science, energy, and national security.
“Artificial intelligence could help the Department of Energy and our national laboratories accomplish grand challenges in science and technology and provide the capacity to streamline the permitting process for large-scale energy and critical minerals projects in Alaska,” said U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a co-sponsor of the bill.
“This bill will enable the Department of Energy to take advantage of these emerging technologies and stay ahead of the science and technology needs of Alaska and the nation,” she said.
