On March 1, 2024, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) published a Request for Information (“RFI”) Related to DOE’s Responsibilities on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. Comments responding to the RFI must be received on or before April 1, 2024.

The RFI was published pursuant to the President’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, which was issued on October 30, 2023. The Executive Order directs DOE to, among other matters, issue a public report, “describing the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve planning, permitting, investment, and operations for electric grid infrastructure and to enable the provision of clean, affordable, reliable, resilient, and secure electric power to all Americans.” DOE notes that the “information provided in response to this RFI will inform the preparation of that report.”

DOE is seeking varied information concerning the development and implementation of AI in the context of the energy sector, including information on how AI:

• can be developed and used by private actors, public-private partnerships, and government entities (at all levels of government, including Federal, State, local, etc.) to improve the security and reliability of grid infrastructure and operations, as well as resilience of the grid to potential disruptions;
• can be used both by government entities at all levels of government (Federal, State, local, etc.) as well as by private actors to improve the planning, siting, permitting, and investment in the grid and related clean energy infrastructure; and
• can be used to strengthen the Nation’s resilience against climate change, including opportunities to help predict, prepare for, and mitigate climate-driven risk.

In addition to DOE, several agencies have sought input concerning the Executive Order on AI, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”), the Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”).