San Francisco, January 13, 2025 – OpenAI executives have announced plans to organize events in Washington D.C. and two key swing states to strengthen support for investments in artificial intelligence (AI). This initiative comes as the company adjusts to significant shifts in the U.S. political landscape since the launch of ChatGPT.
Later this month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, along with other senior executives, will meet with politicians in Washington to discuss a new 'economic project' for AI. The policy proposals, made public on Monday, urge public and private sectors to collaborate in areas such as energy and infrastructure. This strategy aims to maintain the U.S. advantage over China in AI, a point likely to resonate with the incoming Trump administration.
OpenAI also plans to hold events in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Alabama in the coming months. The company will announce new AI projects in each state, as stated by Chris Lehane, OpenAI's Vice President for Global Affairs, in a Bloomberg News interview. These announcements are framed as part of a new initiative, 'Innovating for America,' designed to stimulate economic activity around AI nationwide.
Over the past year, OpenAI and Altman have urged the Biden administration to facilitate the construction of more data centers and the development of energy resources necessary for AI. Currently, OpenAI and other AI companies are adapting to uncertainty surrounding the AI strategy of the upcoming Trump administration.
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to revoke key elements of the Biden administration's AI agenda, including a 2023 executive order on artificial intelligence. Elon Musk, a Trump supporter, has recently gained increased influence in Washington, raising concerns that he may advocate for policies benefiting his own companies, including the startup xAI, a competitor of OpenAI.