Sam Altman pitches OpenAI models to defend power grid
Sam Altman and OpenAI energy policy head John McCarrick have held meetings with executives from large US utilities, including Duke Energy, Exelon, Southern Company, and NextEra Energy, to offer Daybreak, OpenAI's use of frontier models for grid cyberdefence. The move extends an existing OpenAI $1bn programme aimed at water utilities and community banks rather than adding new funding. The pitch comes after recent model security failures disclosed by OpenAI and rivals, and it collides with regulatory limits that typically prevent utilities from passing software costs to consumers, raising questions about who will pay and vendor concentration risks.
OpenAI pitched Daybreak to major utilities for frontier model grid defence
Context
OpenAI began meetings with major US utilities in July and continued at an industry conference. The company offered Daybreak as an extension of an existing $1bn programme. Regulators now face decisions about funding and vendor roles in grid…
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