Energy Department Announces New Initiatives in Support of Biden’s AI Executive Order

The Department of Energy has announced a variety of initiatives in support of President Joe Biden’s executive order on the safe, secure and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence.

Among its new efforts supporting Biden’s AI plan is the VoltAIC project, which aims to use the $13 million grant to develop AI-enabled solutions to enhance the siting and permitting of clean energy infrastructure.

The Energy Department also disclosed the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response’s plan to invite energy stakeholders to discuss the impact of AI integration on the grid after the results of an initial assessment were made public, Energy .gov reported.

On top of the new programs, the agency also released several documents to guide organizations in supporting Biden’s AI agenda, including “AI and Energy: Opportunities for a Modern Grid and Clean Energy Economy” and “Advanced Research Directions in AI for Energy.”

AI-centered projects are nothing new to the federal agency. In December, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory launched the Center for AI @ PNNL, an effort that aims to coordinate scientific research on energy resilience and security.