California is set to become the first US state to manage power outages with AI

MIT Technology Review - AI
Jul 14, 2025 09:00
Alexander C. Kaufman
1 views
airesearchtechnology

Summary

California will become the first US state to use artificial intelligence to manage power outages, with its statewide grid operator deploying AI to modernize operations. This move highlights AI's growing role in critical infrastructure, potentially improving grid reliability and efficiency while setting a precedent for other regions.

California’s statewide power grid operator is poised to become the first in North America to deploy artificial intelligence to manage outages, MIT Technology Review has learned. “We wanted to modernize our grid operations. This fits in perfectly with that,” says Gopakumar Gopinathan, a senior advisor on power system technologies at the California Independent System Operator—known…