OpenAI’s new policy blueprint for AI imagines a role for government
OpenAI is releasing an artificial intelligence infrastructure blueprint meant to highlight its vision for American AI, which the company argues will boost productivity and jumpstart advanced technology development.
The release of the blueprint, which was viewed by FedScoop and is set to be presented in Washington on Wednesday, comes as the Biden administration continues to push for government support for data centers, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors. At the same time, the government’s approach to AI is still taking shape — and companies like OpenAI are using the opportunity to advocate for policies that would make way for infrastructure and energy projects that would benefit them.
“AI presents an unmissable opportunity to reindustrialize the US and through that, generate the kind of broad-based economic growth that will revitalize the American Dream,” the blueprint states. “It also presents a national security imperative to protect our nation and our allies against a surging China by offering an AI shaped by democratic values, promoting individual choice and benefiting the most people possible.”
The company’s outlined approach imagines an aggressive role for the U.S. government in promoting the technology’s development, particularly around infrastructure. Five policy priorities are outlined, including AI economic zones established by both states and the federal government focused on constructing energy systems meant to power AI.
The document suggests a National Transmission Highway Act focused on transmission, fiber, and natural gas. “We need new authority and funding to unblock the planning, permitting, and payment for transmission — the “Three Pʼsˮ that together may represent the greatest obstacle to expanding energy resources to support AI development here in the US,” the blueprint states.
The policy vision calls for a North American Compact for Artificial Intelligence that would form an “economic bloc” meant to compete with China. And it highlights the Navy’s nuclear resources, which the company argues could help drive reindustrialization. OpenAI is also advocating for having the government prepare people for AI jobs that might serve infrastructure projects, such as data center management and operations.
