How Biden Is Solidifying His A.I. Legacy in His Last Week as President

In his final days in office, President Joe Biden has focused on strengthening the United States' position in artificial intelligence (A.I.) through new initiatives. On January 14, he signed an executive order aimed at improving A.I. infrastructure across the country.

The executive order is designed to enhance the nation’s competitive edge in A.I. technology. It designates federal locations for private businesses to establish A.I. data centers. In Biden's words, "Cutting-edge A.I. will have profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans’ lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change.” He cautioned that the U.S. must not take its leadership in A.I. for granted.

The order instructs the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to locate at least three sites where private companies can construct A.I. data centers. Those selected to develop the sites will bear the costs associated with building and maintaining these facilities.

Recognizing the substantial energy demands of A.I. infrastructure, the order also mandates that any private company operating on federal land must provide sufficient clean energy to meet the power requirements of their data centers. Recent statistics illustrate that A.I. facilities accounted for 4 percent of national electricity usage in the past year, a figure projected to rise to 9.1 percent by the decade’s end, according to the Electric Power Research Institute.

Expediting the development of A.I. data centers is a crucial aspect of Biden's executive order. It encourages government agencies to prioritize faster permitting processes for A.I. infrastructure on federal property. This might include establishing “categorical exclusions” under the National Environmental Policy Act for projects that do not significantly impact the environment.

The executive order followed an announcement regarding a new framework for the export of computer chips essential for A.I. applications. This updated regulation imposes stricter export controls aimed particularly at China and Russia, implementing a limit of 50,000 chips per country for most global markets.

While the new rule will not take effect for 120 days, it has faced criticism from foreign nations and major industry leaders. Officials from the European Commission stated that it is in the U.S.'s interest for the E.U. to freely purchase advanced A.I. chips from American suppliers. Meanwhile, chipmaker Nvidia described the policy as harmful to global innovation and economic growth.

Defending the A.I. chip framework, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explained, “We’re trying to strike the right balance between ensuring the frontier of A.I. stays in the U.S. and our close allies while also ensuring that the rest of the world can benefit from A.I. and get the hardware that they need to power A.I. applications going forward.” He expressed optimism that this approach would help maintain and protect America’s leadership in artificial intelligence technology.

Biden, AI, ExecutiveOrder