Biden to visit Bay Area for technology consultation, campaign events
President Joe Biden is expected to travel to the Bay Area on Tuesday, landing at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View prior to attending a campaign reception and other events over a two-day visit.
President Joe Biden is expected to travel to the Bay Area on Tuesday, landing at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View prior to attending a campaign reception and other events over the course of a two-day visit.
Biden’s trip will feature a meeting with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a 30-member group featuring professors, scientists, CEOs and tech experts. The group exists to advise the president on policy matters where an “understanding of science, technology and innovation is key.”
The president’s visit comes as critics from a growing number of sectors have expressed concerns about the lack of regulation surrounding artificial intelligence and the development of large language models like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. The Biden administration has said that to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence the nation “must first manage its risks.”
In June, the Biden administration announced that it had come to a voluntary agreement with a group of companies working in A.I. on a set of safety guidelines. Two months later, in August, the Biden administration held the first event that publicly stress-tested large language models.
As of press time, it was unclear what topics, exactly, the president will discuss with his council.
On Tuesday, a fundraising group, the Biden Victory Fund ,is also holding a reception with the president. The event is hosted by Mark Heising and Liz Simons, Peninsula-based philanthropists. The sold out event offered tickets ranging in price from $5,000 to $100,000.
President Biden will travel to the Bay after meeting with striking UAW workers in Wayne County, Michigan.
The president most recently visited the Bay Area in June, where he announced a $600 million investment in projects aimed at combating climate change. On that trip, he also touted the work his administration has done to create clean energy jobs, build climate resilience, and make investments to better protect the country’s power grid from extreme weather events. Biden also visited the region in January, following devastating floods in Santa Cruz and the surrounding mountain communities.
As he leaves for California, Biden is facing national headwinds including a potential government shutdown and flagging poll numbers that show him tied or behind former President Donald Trump in a potential head-to-head rematch in the 2024 election.
Republican presidential contenders are also descending on California this week for the GOP California convention in Orange County. In addition, Ron Desantis, one of Trump’s high-profile challengers, will be holding a brunch with local agriculture leaders in Salinas on Thursday.