Avista, PG&E, Ameren AI demonstrations show big potential – but are other utilities ready?

Utilities and system operators are discovering new ways for artificial intelligence and machine learning to help meet reliability threats in the face of growing loads, utilities and analysts say.

There has been an “explosion into public consciousness of generative AI models,” according to a 2024 Electric Power Research Institute, or EPRI, paper. The explosion has resulted in huge 2025 AI financial commitments like the $500 billion…