James Comer U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district | Official U.S. House Headshot
James Comer U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Today in Washington, the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs convened to discuss the potential transformation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in America. Chairman Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) delivered the opening statement, emphasizing the substantial impact AI technology is predicted to have across various sectors.
“Artificial intelligence, or AI, is likely to become one of the most consequential technology transformations of the century," stated Burlison. He highlighted the progress across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, defense, education, and finance as AI technology advances. Burlison mentioned that AI is already contributing to creating cancer screening and pretreatment plans in healthcare, predicting machine failure in manufacturing, and enhancing decision-making processes in defense.
Burlison underscored the significance of President Trump's recent Executive Order and investments aiming to maintain America’s AI dominance globally. He cited Trump's announcement of a joint venture named Stargate, involving OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank, and MGX, which plans to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure. According to Burlison, “This five hundred billion-dollar investment will allow both the U.S. and our strategic partners around the globe to unlock next-generation AI.”
The discussion also pointed to the rising power demand from data centers, with a report from the U.S. Department of Energy noting that data centers consumed 4.4 percent of the country's electricity in 2023, a figure expected to grow notably by 2028. Burlison touched on the need for workforce development to fill approximately 100,000 jobs required to support the AI advancement.
The economic contribution of the data center industry was also highlighted. In Northern Virginia, it's estimated that this sector supports 74,000 jobs and contributes significantly to the state's GDP and labor income.
Concluding his remarks, Burlison expressed support for the Trump Administration's ambition to make America a leader in AI technology and looked forward to collaborative efforts with Congress to bring this vision to fruition.
The session proceeded with the statement from Ranking Member Frost.
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