Powering AI—Navigating Energy Challenges and Overregulation
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing industries, but its rapid expansion comes with serious challenges—especially energy consumption and government intervention. AI-driven data centers are straining the electric grid and misguided regulatory policies threaten to make matters worse. From permitting delays to market-distorting subsidies, government policies need not hinder the development of reliable, on-demand power sources to sustain AI’s growth.
Please join CEI for a lunch briefing on how policymakers can ensure AI’s energy needs are met. Featuring keynote remarks by Representative Jay Obernolte, who served as Chair for the House Artificial Intelligence Task Force. Panelists include CEI authors of a forthcoming study called Powering Intelligence: Meeting AI’s Energy Needs in a Changing Electricity Landscape and Cato’s Travis Fisher.
When: Wednesday, March 26th from 12:00–1:00 pm
Where: Capitol Visitor Center room 217, First St SE, Washington, DC 20515
Chick-fil-A catering. Seating is limited. RSVP now to secure your spot.
Representative Jay Obernolte represents California’s 23rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where he is a member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology; the Subcommittee on Health; and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. He also serves on the House Budget Committee and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology. He is currently the only serving member of Congress with a graduate-level degree in AI. In 2024, He chaired a bipartisan House task force on artificial intelligence.
Dr. James Broughel is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute whose expertise lies in regulatory institutions and the impact of regulations on economic growth. He is a regular columnist at Forbes and the author of Regulation and Economic Growth: Applying Economic Theory to Public Policy.
Paige Lambermont is a Research Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in the Center for Energy and Environment. In her role, she covers free-market energy topics including the electrical grid, energy regulation, and nuclear power.
Travis Fisher is the Director of Energy and Environmental Policy studies at the Cato Institute. His research focuses on the economics and reliability of electricity; the role of free markets in improving the availability and affordability of energy and natural resources; and environmental regulations that affect energy.