Artificial intelligence offers the United States a once-in-a-generation chance for remarkable innovation and economic expansion. Implementing AI will stimulate the American economy, generate jobs, advance scientific breakthroughs, and more. To fully capitalize on these benefits, it is essential to rapidly enhance the capacity of the country’s existing, sometimes outdated, energy infrastructure. Achieving this demands accelerating innovation and investment in cutting-edge energy technologies; maximizing the current grid’s efficiency while enabling the construction of new transmission lines; and cultivating the workforce needed to develop this new energy infrastructure. In a new paper titled Powering a New Era of American Innovation, we present 15 policy opportunities. Many of these ideas have been developing within policy circles for some time, involve a broad array of stakeholders, and stem from an extensive discourse on potential policy solutions. By advancing sophisticated electricity resources and grid infrastructure, the U. S. can empower all electricity sources to contribute to a more reliable and affordable energy future.

This progress now calls for constructive collaboration between public and private sectors. Complementing Google’s pledge to equip one million Americans with AI skills through the AI Opportunity Fund, there is also a significant demand for skilled tradespeople capable of building electrical infrastructure. Notably, a shortage of electrical workers could limit America’s capacity to construct the infrastructure necessary to support AI, advanced manufacturing, and the transition to clean energy. Building on years of delivering digital workforce development programs nationwide, Google today announces support for training 100, 000 electrical workers and 30, 000 new apprentices in the U. S. With funding from Google. org granted to the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) — an organization founded by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association — etA will incorporate AI tools into its training curriculum and expand its apprenticeship programs nationwide. Apprentices will also gain access to Google’s AI Essentials course to develop AI proficiency. Supported by Google, etA’s initiative aims to grow the electrical workforce pipeline by 70% over the next five years. While no single organization can resolve the anticipated labor shortage alone, shared efforts across public and private sectors to implement and sustain training programs like this one can establish a model for preparing the next generation of the workforce.