Disruption

Public utility commissions under microscope as proxy AI regulators

A report calls for more scrutiny of the low-profile entities in each state.
A data center is under construction in Ashburn in Loudon County, Virginia, on Sunday, July 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

State public utility commissions are emerging as indirect regulators of artificial intelligence, as the race to develop AI brings more energy-hungry data centers seeking commission approvals for energy infrastructure, according to a new report.

“We all need to recognize that PUCs have become important, if indirect, regulators of AI because of the way they regulate data centers,” Scott Babwah Brennen, director of New York University’s Center on Technology Policy and the report’s co-author, said in an interview.

Stay informed
Subscribe to keep reading.

Sign up today to get the latest state new at your fingertips and in your inbox.