PG&E’s CEO says AI is ‘the best thing that could’ve ever happened to the grid’

Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Patti Poppe is leading the utility through a difficult mix of legacy liabilities and new demands on the power grid. Her tenure has included efforts to rebuild public trust after deadly wildfires, while the company faces the broader effects of an artificial intelligence boom, regulatory changes and mandated grid investment.

Poppe took over as PG&E’s chief executive in January 2021. She became the first woman to move directly from one Fortune 500 company, CMS Energy, to another in the chief executive role.

A leadership role shaped by crisis

Poppe inherited a company emerging from bankruptcy and carrying the consequences of equipment linked to deadly wildfires. PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise. That history made safety, culture and public confidence central issues for her leadership.

According to the source, Poppe has focused sharply on culture and safety as PG&E works to restore trust. The company’s past continues to frame how its leadership approaches investment and accountability.

AI adds a new dimension

The rise of AI has arrived as PG&E contends with new regulations and required spending on the grid. Those developments have put utility rates back in the spotlight, adding pressure to decisions about the company’s future.

Poppe has described AI as the best thing that could have happened to the grid, but the source does not detail specific PG&E projects or financial effects tied to the technology. For now, AI is part of a broader leadership challenge that combines innovation with safety, regulation and public scrutiny.