Investing in workforce, energy infrastructure and the policies needed to power the AI opportunity

AI presents the United States with a generational opportunity for extraordinary innovation and growth. The deployment of AI will grow the American economy, create jobs, accelerate scientific advances and more. Fully realizing these opportunities requires an effort to rapidly increase the capacity of the nation's existing, sometimes antiquated energy system. This in turn requires accelerating innovation and investment in advanced energy technologies; optimizing use of the existing grid and unlocking construction of new transmission infrastructure; and developing the labor force needed to build new energy infrastructure.

Today, in a new paper titled Powering a New Era of American Innovation, we’re sharing 15 policy opportunities. Many of these proposals have been incubating in policy circles for some time, reach across a broad base of stakeholders and are drawn from the broader discussion of policy options.

By unlocking advanced electricity resources and grid infrastructure, the United States would enable all sources of electricity to contribute to a more reliable and affordable energy future. They now require constructive public and private collaboration to advance.

Beyond Google’s commitment to equip 1 million Americans with AI skills through the AI Opportunity Fund, there is demand for trade skills that can construct electrical infrastructure. In particular, a shortage of electrical workers may constrain America’s ability to build the infrastructure needed to support AI, advanced manufacturing and a shift to clean energy.

Building upon years of delivering digital workforce development programs to people across the country, today Google is announcing support for an effort to train 100,000 electrical workers and 30,000 new apprentices in the United States. With funding from Google.org to the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) — an organization created by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association — etA will integrate AI tools into its curriculum and boost the number of apprentices nationally. It will also provide apprentices with access to Google’s AI Essentials course to master AI skills.

With the support provided by Google, etA's program aims to increase the electrical workforce pipeline by 70% within the next five years. Of course, no single organization can fix the expected shortfall alone, but through shared public and private efforts to introduce and support training programs like this one, the U.S. can develop a model for training the next generation workforce.