“To establish an international strategy for AI research and development to improve outdated electrical grids, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on challenges facing electrical grids, including aging infrastructure, growing energy demands, climate-related risks, cyber threats, and the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, autonomous restoration, and integration of distributed energy resources. It expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should collaborate with international organizations such as the International Energy Agency and International Renewable Energy Agency on AI-enabled grid management tools to accelerate global grid modernization, enhance resilience, and establish shared cybersecurity protocols.
This section directs the Secretary of State, in coordination with relevant federal agencies, to develop and implement a comprehensive international strategy to advance research, development, and deployment of AI-enabled technologies for modernizing and enhancing resilience of electrical grids worldwide. The strategy must include (1) strengthening partnerships with allies, academic institutions, and private-sector stakeholders to modernize grids; (2) accelerating AI-enabled grid technologies to improve reliability, resilience, cyber threat response, and integration of renewables and distributed energy resources; (3) promoting equitable access to grid tools in developing and disaster-prone regions; (4) supporting workforce development and training in AI, cybersecurity, and smart-grid operations; and (5) facilitating federal agency coordination, including with the Departments of Homeland Security, Energy, and Commerce. The section authorizes the Secretary to support related international programs, projects, and activities, such as research partnerships, demonstrations, pilots, public-private partnerships for commercialization, and technical assistance. It further requires the Secretary to seek cooperative agreements with allies for joint research, technology transfer, capacity-building, and deployment, provided the agreements align with the strategy, exclude classified or military-specific AI, and comply with U.S. export-control laws.
This section directs the Secretary of State to submit to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, not later than 540 days after enactment and annually thereafter for five years, a report on progress implementing the strategy required by section 3. The report must describe (1) partnerships established, including number, type, and participants; (2) research, development, and demonstration activities, including AI-enabled grid technologies developed, tested, or deployed; (3) pilot project outcomes, including security, scalability, performance, and grid reliability improvements; (4) advancements in AI-enabled cybersecurity tools for intrusion detection, anomaly detection, and system restoration; (5) technical assistance, workforce development, and capacity-building, including trainings and personnel trained; (6) progress integrating renewable and distributed energy resources via AI systems; (7) international cooperation agreements; (8) challenges encountered; (9) recommendations for improvement; and (10) metrics on electrical grid resilience changes, to the extent data is available.