Energy and Resources Committee is about two hours. Over the past few years, since six have been working to understand the challenges around ai and various issues. Argonne National Laboratory in illinois, Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley in california. Those are the most, new mexico. And oak ridge, tennessee. The labs work in bringing together both fundamental science and National Security missions. This hearing will examine their findings. This hearing will also discuss the 1. 8 billion exit scale Computing Program that the committee authorized. If we want to invest in ai in a costeffective way, we must build on existing programs and avoid wasting resources and duplication. Most people think about the department of energy for his work advancing Energy Technologies like nuclear reactors, energy efficiencies, Carbon Capture and hydrogen. Doe does more than just energy. The Department Also is the largest supporter of physical, Scientific Research in the federal government. Conducting research and developing technologies across a range of fields. We spent a lot of time examining doe Critical Role in research in the context of the endless frontier act which ultimately came via the chips and science act. Jump starts privatesector innovation and strengthens our economy and is essential to our National Security. Doe research ensures the u. S. Can anticipate, detect, assess and mitigate emerging Technology Threats related to advanced computing, biotechnologies, Nuclear Security and more. Artificial intelligence stands out across does vast mission and has the potential to revolutionize scientific discovery, Technology Deployment and National Security. Ai is already changing the world at a remarkable pace. We are seeing its deployed in battlefields across the world. Ukraine has successfully used ai against russian forces. Also, ai helped us fight covid19. The oak ridge National Laboratorys uses Artificial Intelligence and Computing Resources to model proteins in the coronavirus to help develop vaccines. Make no mistake, Artificial Intelligence also presents many risks. Earlier this year, a class of students at m. I. T. Was tasked with investigating whether ai chatbots could be prompted to assist nonexperts in causing a pandemic. In just one hour, the chatbot suggested four potential pandemic pathogens and explain how they could be generated from synthetic dna using reverse genetics, supplied the names of the dna synthesis companies that are likely to screen orders, identified protocols and how to troubleshoot them. And recommended that anyone lacking the skills to perform reverse genetics engage a research organization. That comes from a Research Paper titled, can Large Language Models biotechnology . Which i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record. Scientific and engineering expertise has long been a very a barrier. Until now, the common person has not had access to the resources or the knowhow to launch these hightech threats on human society. Eliminating much of the expertise from developed weapons from a disease or cyber attack thereby eroding defenses. Ai is not a new issue for the committee or to the department of energy. Since the 1960s, doe has been a key player in investments in ai. As we all know, we have 70 National Labs, 34 user facilities of americas r d network. Has as a workforce of 70,000 scientists, engineers, resources and support personnel with world leading scientific expertise Whose Mission is to serve the american people. Each of these labs plays a significant role in the ai. Doe is also the largest and manages more Scientific Data than any other agency in the u. S. As a result, the department has Computing Resources, expertise, experience managing large volumes of data that give the Department Natural leadership. When federal agencies have an ai problem, they look to the doe. Over the past decade, the department has developed thousands of ai applications. For example, the National EnergyTechnology Lab in morgantown, West Virginia supports the department of interior in using Artificial Intelligence to identify orphaned oil and gas wells. For the program, ai source resources by analyzing old land survey maps, permits, production records and eyewitness accounts to find well sites. During the 2020 three r d awards, which i am told is referred to as the oscars of innovation, doctorates dr. Rick stevens was recognized for his work using ai to accelerate the discovery of new Cancer Therapies and treatments that are highly personalized for individual patients. And our committee has recently played an Important Role in advancing does ai work. In recognizing the United States must not fall behind in the supercomputing race. We authorize the exoskeleton Computing Program of the department of energy and the 115 coffers. The frontier supercomputer at oak ridge allowed past exit scale, the ability to perform one billion calculations per scout calculations per second. That is a lot. The fastest supercomputer in the world. Before we authorize the program, china had the fastest computers. Now, the u. S. Has regained the lead. This supercomputer at oak ridge is already using ai to model the behavior of human cells to develop better treatments for alzheimers, opiate addiction and cancer. But the race is just beginning. Ai has the potential to add trillions of dollars into the World Economy each year. Governments and companies around the world are competing fiercely in the new markets. America must accelerate our efforts to compete and defend against china and ai. It is estimated that the annual chinese ai investments will reach over 26 billion by 2026. Which dwarfs the u. S. Government current spending of 3. 3 billion per year. Between 2015 and 2021, Chinese Ai Companies raised 110 billion, including 40. 2 billion from u. S. Investors about which i cannot believe and 251 ai companies. In 2017, china released their new Development Plan which includes r d and infrastructure targets for the u. S. Currently does not have a strategic ai plan like this. In addition to government spending, chinas workforce advantage is significant. It has twice as many stem phds and twice as many masters degree holders. China has created Artificial Intelligence programs in every one of their top universities. In regards to the exoskeleton program, this is a champion, the Chinese Government can be set to operate as many as 10 supercomputers by 2025. Xi jinping himself has pointed to our national lab network, calling them indispensable momentum for the development and innovation of science and technology. Soon, china may have their very own lab network. Last week, a Company Named baidu released a Chinese CommunistParty Approved ai language and model comparable to chatgpt. An app developed in the u. S. , which we have heard about. Bernie bought is the most downloaded in asia. The doe needs to do more Strategic Planning so that americans have confidence in key resources. We encourage other agencies to use resources and promote private sector partnerships with labs that develop safe commercial occupations of ai. We must also understand what additional investments are needed to spur leadership in Artificial Intelligence. Congress should focus on strengthening and expanding our existing programs rather than creating duplicate programs. We should also ensure our labs are able to responsibly recruit experts both from our country and globally. Much of americas ai expertise comes from immigrants who founded nearly half of the top startups in the u. S. International students earn 60 of our Computer Science doctorates. All the time, we must be sure the work includes safety requirements. We will not outcompete china in ai if they are able to just steal the technology funded by our taxpayer dollars for dollars. The chips and science act that Congress Passed features Research Improvements that are now currently being implement it by the department. However, Foreign Espionage is an evolving threat and we must remain vigilant. The United States must remain at the forefront of a new emerging technology and to the department of energy as a essential component of that. I look forward to hearing our witnesses perspectives on steps that apartment can take to ensure america is advancing ai in a competitive, responsible manner. I will turn to my friend for opening remarks. I appreciate your remarks because Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the world. It is already impacting our daily lives. Artificial intelligence plays a role in the energy sector. Ai can reduce equipment downtime. Algorithms help minors locate rich deposits from works more efficient exploration. Realtime analytics strength and worker safety programs. Artificial intelligence helps pinpoint oil and gas reserves. Predictive models harness data to streamline operations and reduce costs. Ai centers also reinforce Pipeline Safety and efficiency. Artificial intelligence has great promise to expand our economy and strengthen our National Security. It also raises some welldocumented concerns. A recent study from the highlighted a significant and systemic leftwing bias in chatgpt platforms. It revealed a clear bias in favor of democrats. The same Program Favorite of the labour party and the United Kingdom and the Workers Party in brazil. We cant let political bias infiltrate the development of ai. This is particularly true when taxpayer dollars are helping fund the technology development. Innovation in emerging technologies can be a source of great strength. It can be a key advantage in our geopolitical competition. The department of energy has an Important Role in ai research. The department maintains the worlds most advanced computing systems. Its 70 National Labs have significant experience developing the nations most sensitive technologies. The peoples republic of china is watching nearly every move made at our National Labs. A recent report revealed that since 1987, the Chinese Communist party has targeted over 160 chinese resources working at our premier weapons lab. Upon returning to china, researchers helped advance key military technologies using knowledge financed by american taxpayers. In july of this year, senior fbi officials warned that china is targeting u. S. Businesses, universities and Government Research facilities. China is trying to get their hands on cutting edge American Research and technology. As of 2021, over 4000 chinese nationals still work at our nations National Labs. Many of these foreign nationals strive to advance innovation and do want to collaborate in good faith. They find themselves beholden to an authoritarian regime at home the party is relentless. Some chinese nationals will see no choice but to support the Chinese Communists through theft of research and technology. Their families back in china may suffer harsh consequences if they do not comply with their governments demands. Chinas sustained interest in our intellectual property is a stark reminder of the intense global competition surrounding Artificial Intelligence. This competition may drive advancements in the field. We cant overlook our threat to National Security posed by the Chinese Government. The department of energy in our National Labs must take the china threat more seriously. We cant let our Technology Fall into the hands of those in beijing. I look forward to hearing from our Witnesses Today on what additional steps Research Agencies and laboratories and universities they fund must take to prevent this theft of american technology. Sen. Manchin i would like to thank the witnesses for being here today. First of all, we are going to have david turk, deputy secretary of energy. We have dr. Rick stevens. Thank you for the great work. Director tentatively see, University Center for security and emerging technology. Andrew wheeler, Vice President at hewlettpackard enterprises. Thank you all. I will turn to secretary turk. We are going to begin with for opening remarks. Distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity. Opportunity to talk about activities in an our vision for Artificial Intelligence. Let me begin appropriately by thanking this committee. For years and years of strong, sustained report support that has led to becoming a an ai powerhouse. With your leadership, we have designed, developed and currently operates four of the top 10 fastest openly benchmarked supercomputers in the world. Including the worlds fastest frontier at oak ridge National Laboratory. We are the worlds first Capable Software ecosystem that is helping to drive breakthroughs, ai breakthroughs in critical areas as varied as material science, earthquake Risk Assessment, energy storage, i could go on and on. Across a network of 34 National User facilities around our country, doe generates tremendous volumes of highquality data. Literally the fuel that can lead to more ai breakthroughs. Most importantly, the National Laboratory system houses a workforce of over 70,000 scientists, engineers, support personnel with world leading expertise. It is a particular pleasure to be joined on this panel by professor rick stevens, who is one of those top experts as you mentioned. But as proud as we should all be about this robust ai foundation, now is the time to take these capabilities to the next level. Advancements in ai are enabling enormous progress that can help address key challenges of our time. We need to double down on that technical capability. The computers, the software, the data, the researchers, to make sure that we have those breakthroughs here in the u. S. And our private sector can benefit from that as well. Governments around the world are investing in ai capabilities as never report that she never before. Chinese investments are expected to reach 26 billion by 2026. We simply must be bold and move fast, or risk falling behind. Ai also lowers the bar for bad actors to do even worse things and to do them easier. Ai systems pose risks to individual safety, privacy, civil liberty. Information manipulation. Bias and discrimination. Bio threats, nuclear threats, chemical threats, all made easier by ai, potentially. An industry alone cannot only be fully aware of their threats because much of that information rightfully so falls within the purview of our Intelligence Community and our National Security enterprise. Doe can play an Important Role including developing methods for assessing and red teaming ai models to identify and mitigate the risks possessed presented by these cutting edge systems that are only improving incredibly quickly over the weeks and months ahead. Over five years, we worked with stakeholders across the ai ecosystem to identify new and rapidly emerging opportunities and challenges presented by ai. And to identify very specifically how unique doe capabilities, the strong foundations, thanks to this committee, how we can drive progress for ai Going Forward for the department of energy. This culminated in the may, 2023 release of a report called ai for science, energy and securit