Citing cybersecurity and data privacy risks, algorithmic errors, and generation of false and misleading information widespread across artificial intelligence platforms, Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman today petitioned the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to open a comprehensive review of artificial intelligence utilization by public utilities in Connecticut.
Corporate adoption of AI is widespread, with 47 percent of U.S. employees now reporting that their organization has integrated AI tools. While Avangrid and Eversource have both noted AI use in public statements and online, the extent and scope of AI use in Connecticut utility operations is unclear.
AI risks are not theoretical, including generation of false and misleading information, hallucinations, algorithmic biases, and data privacy and security concerns. Reliance on AI for weather models has compromised utility storm response in other states. In California, recent wildfires were ten times bigger than an AI forecast used by a utility there. While it is unclear if any utilities in the northeast used AI models to predict the nor-easter storm response last February, it has been reported that conventional weather models outperformed AI models in accurately predicting the extent of the storm. In 2025, 72 percent of S&P 500 companies disclosed at least one material AI risk.
The proceeding would provide an opportunity to probe what the utilities have been doing, compare current operations to industry standards, and identify which areas are meeting standards and which areas need refinement.
As part of the review, Attorney General Tong and Consumer Counsel Coleman urge PURA to require utilities to report the full scope of AI systems in use, including the objectives of each system, level of human oversight, and policies, procedures and protocols governing AI use within the organization. They ask the authority to review all data security and cybersecurity protections and breaches, both stemming from AI and outside of AI.
Attorney General Tong and Consumer Counsel Coleman urge PURA to include in the scope of its inquiry:
- Storm response;
- Customer systems;
- Asset management;
- Planning and forecasting of energy load and water demands;
- Procurement of electric and water resources equipment;
- Grid, power plants and water distribution and treatment systems operations and maintenance;
- Third party vendors; and
- Advanced Metering Infrastructure
“Artificial intelligence adoption is rapidly outpacing our ability to understand and control for risk. It’s not a question of whether our utilities are using AI—we know they are. We need to know exactly where, why and how it is being deployed, and what safeguards are in place to ensure the security and stability of our critical energy systems and infrastructure,”Attorney General Tong said in a release.
“AI and other technological innovations have the potential to improve operations and promote efficiencies that can lead to cost-savings for customers, however, those opportunities cannot come at the expense of safety, reliability or hard-fought consumer protections. As the use of AI increases, regulatory oversight of its implementation with respect to essential, every day utility services cannot fall behind. That’s why we’re calling for this review to better understand how these tools are being used, identify potential risks, ensure sensitive customer information is secure and innovations serve the interests of consumers rather than exposing them to unnecessary harm,” Consumer Counsel Coleman said.
Assistant Attorneys General Caroline McCormack and John Wright and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.