How is Utah Navigating the Rise of AI?

SALT LAKE CITY — What happens when a new technology enters the mainstream that will likely evolve faster than humans can adapt?

That was the question Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah leaders asked as they began discussing how the state should navigate the rise of artificial intelligence.

To begin answering that question, the Utah Department of Commerce on Monday officially launched its Office of Artificial Intelligence.

Creation of the Office

The office, created during the 2024 legislative session through the passing of SB149 and led by Brigham Young University faculty member Zachary Boyd, will consult with businesses, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to facilitate dialogue on potential regulatory proposals related to AI.

“What we have done, collectively, is to come up with a new model, I think, that’s unique in governance anywhere in the country and maybe anywhere in the world, where we hired experts to be in this space,” Cox said. “It’s not just government versus the innovators. It’s government working with the innovators, giving you a space and confidence to come in and show what you can do and prove what you can do and give them the space to do that. And then work together — work collaboratively — on the very regulations that will protect the marketplace and protect our citizens.”

Cox added that the office will give recommendations to the Legislature leading up to the annual legislative sessions and for special sessions, if the need arises.

Core Objectives

Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, said that as Utah leaders began conversations around an AI policy, they identified three core objectives: Foster innovation, protect the public, and observe and learn.

“The two main functions of this new office are to offer regulatory relief where we can to help innovation and to study policy areas and make recommendations to the Legislature through a learning lab approach,” Busse said.