California chooses to switch from analog to AI-powered energy management

California’s statewide power grid operator is set to become the first in North America to deploy artificial intelligence to manage outages. Surprisingly, it’s all been deeply analog so far.

Currently, engineers at the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) manually scan outage reports for keywords about planned maintenance, read through notes, and load each item into grid software to calculate how downed lines or transformers might affect the power supply.

Like the rest of the country, California’s power infrastructure is dangerously aging. But now, CAISO is set to announce a pilot program to deploy AI to manage outages.

As first reported by MIT Technology Review, the software, called Genie, uses generative AI to analyze and carry out real-time analyses for grid operators. It has the potential to autonomously make decisions about key grid functions.

The move, potentially paving the way for broader AI automation across America, resembles something like switching from uniformed traffic officers to sensor-equipped stoplights.

“We wanted to modernize our grid operations. This fits in perfectly with that,” said Gopakumar Gopinathan, a senior advisor on power system technologies at CAISO.

“AI is already transforming different industries. But we haven’t seen many examples of it being used in our industry.”

According to a Department of Energy report, AI has the potential to speed up studies on grid capacity and transmission, improve weather forecasting for renewable energy prediction, and optimize electric-vehicle charging networks.

Indeed, the industry has mostly been discussing data center electricity demands rather than how AI can improve grid operations.

If the California project turns out to be successful, other major grid operators will surely follow suit. For example, PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid system spanning 13 states, signed a deal with Google in April to use its Tapestry software for regional planning and faster grid connections.

Officials are quick to warn against overhyping CAISO’s solution. Gopinathan pointed out that AI implementation is currently more limited to the state’s outage management system, and Genie is not talking to other parts of the system yet.