Few Details Emerge From Kemp’s Private Meeting With OpenAI and Georgia Power

Gov. Brian Kemp held a private meeting with OpenAI and Georgia Power in May to discuss OpenAI’s plans for the Peach State, but details about the meeting are only now beginning to surface.

On Monday, independent news outlet The Current revealed that the meeting, held on May 20, was private and known only from a passing mention on the governor’s schedule. The outlet obtained additional minor details through a public records request, which produced a one-page briefing memo prepared by Kemp’s scheduling director, Anna Horvath.

“The purpose of the meeting is to brief [the] Governor on OpenAI’s activity in the state of Georgia. They will provide an overview of why Georgia and any specific sites are of interest, jobs and investment commitments, and OpenAI’s current strategy and timeline. They would like to hear any concerns or thoughts from [the] Governor to discuss and incorporate into their strategy,” the memo states.

Additional meeting topics “were not disclosed by the governor’s office or OpenAI,” The Current reported.

Attendees included three representatives from OpenAI, a vice president and two senior vice presidents from Georgia Power, and Jamie McCurry, a former Georgia Ports Authority leader and current principal at Plimsoll Advisors.

Georgia Power stated the company is not at liberty to elaborate on “specific projects or potential customer agreements,” and OpenAI said it does not discuss conversations from private meetings, according to The Current.

A spokesperson for Kemp told the Daily Signal that the governor’s office “cannot comment on private meetings or discussions with the governor,” and that Kemp “meets frequently with business executives from around the world and across all industries to remain informed about developments in their field.”

Last year, the state launched its Office of Artificial Intelligence to bring together agencies, organizations, and elected representatives to foster AI and related emerging technologies. The Current noted that Georgia has provided 500 ChatGPT enterprise licenses for employees across the state, and that OpenAI is head of a nationwide AI data center project that President Donald Trump discussed last year.

OpenAI also has been working on “classified chatbot technology,” which the Pentagon recently bought from the company, The Current reported.

It’s unclear if OpenAI currently invests in data centers across the state. Georgia’s data center hub is centered around the metro Atlanta area, and shell businesses own some of these centers, making it a challenge to gather details about their operations.