Cherry Fu, a DOE veteran, will lead this initiative. Her early priorities include supporting the use of AI in developing nuclear fusion power, increasing the energy efficiency of supercomputers, testing AI models for vulnerabilities, and making DOE's data more accessible to scientists and private-sector AI developers. Experts, such as David Sandalow, a climate-policy expert at Columbia University, believe Fu is a good choice for the role and hope the office will integrate AI tools into all aspects of DOE’s mission.
Key takeaways:
- AI is a powerful tool for combating climate change, with applications in developing new materials for batteries and solar cells, managing the electric grid, studying climate patterns, and monitoring emissions.
- However, AI also poses risks such as data leaks and privacy invasions, and requires large amounts of energy to power the computing that drives it.
- Fu's role will be to coordinate DOE resources, which are currently scattered across the agency, and to engage a wider base of agencies, scientists, and entrepreneurs in AI-related initiatives.
- Some of Fu's early priorities include supporting the use of AI in developing nuclear fusion power, increasing the energy efficiency of supercomputers, testing AI models for vulnerabilities to hackers, and making DOE's vast stores of physics, energy, and climate data more accessible.