There is growing recognition that our nation needs more electricity—for EVs, manufacturing, AI, and more. In a commentary published on FOX Business, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith writes that leaders at Microsoft identified the national shortage of electricians as “the single biggest challenge for data center expansion in the United States.”
Microsoft estimates the U.S. will need a half million new electricians over the next decade. Policymakers could help meet this demand in many ways, including revitalizing industrial arts and shop programs in high schools and supporting opportunities for apprenticeships and training through community colleges. Read the entire piece here.
This Week in Washington
- Nextgov: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the final version of their guide to combatting AI-powered cyberattacks. Substantial changes made since the initial version include an overview of generative AI models’ stages of learning and an index on the classes of attacks on different AI systems.
- FedScoop: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned federal employees that cybercriminals are attempting to steal their login credentials. According to the FBI, the cybercriminals hope to trick employees by running advertisements on search engines impersonating the National Finance Center (NFC) website.
- Bleeping Computer: The FBI began warning that fake online document converters are being used to steal peoples’ information and, in some cases, to deploy ransomware on victims’ devices.
- Reuters: The U.S. Supreme Court heard the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) defense of the mechanism it uses to fund a multi-billion dollar effort to expand phone and broadband internet access. A decision on the FCC case is expected by the end of June.
Article Summary
- Wall Street Journal: Researchers studying Alzheimer’s disease are utilizing AI-powered databases to accelerate the process of drug discovery. Using those technologies has allowed the time it takes to read through journals and databases go by nearly 10 times faster.
- StateScoop: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently shared preliminary results from the state’s first-in-the-nation ChatGPT pilot program. The program is aimed at integrating generative AI into government services and is already proving to be a “job enhancer” for most employees.
- Savannah Now: A state Senate committee approved a House bill that requires the Georgia Technology Authority (FTA), along with state local governments, to develop plans for using AI. The legislature is also looking to criminalize the use of AI to generate obscene material depicting children.
- Broadband Breakfast: A California lawmaker is one step closer to advancing a legislative mandate, titled the California Affordable Home Internet Act, which aims to cap monthly interest bills at $15 for qualifying low-income households.
Featured Highlight
- Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith
For the 50th anniversary of Microsoft, Brad Smith met with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to discuss the company’s impact, the next phase of the digital revolution, and Gates’ memoir. “We knew the dream, personal computer, computing was going to be gigantic and was going to change the world,” said Gates, “whether or not year by year we could stay on top of that, I was always pretty modest and able to worry a lot.” (“Bill Gates: Starting the Digital Revolution” – March 13, 2025)