AI Mormons incoming: Utah hopes new tech will improve government efficiency

Forget California or the US federal government. Utah, a deep-red state, has firmly embraced artificial intelligence (AI) in the hopes of modernizing and improving public services.

The US federal government is seemingly incapable of passing any meaningful legislation and regulations regarding the use of AI. Unsurprisingly, individual states are leading the way.

In California, where the largest AI hub in Silicon Valley is based, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new set of regulations for AI companies into law at the end of September, for example.

But Utah, a deeply conservative state, is also not standing still – proving that individual states can play around with their own set of rules, at least until Washington wakes up.

According to Axios, the Beehive State has rolled out Google Gemini to most employees. Utah’s commerce department is now also using AI to process international professional licenses, such as nursing, for state credentials.

Utah chief information officer Alan Fuller explained it was an “insurmountable problem” to process licenses in different languages before staffers could use AI to help them translate and summarize the information.

Besides, when the state found that call center agents for Utah's tax commission are grappling with the demands of a growing population, it decided to explore how chatbots could help field people’s questions.

As per Axios, Utah is also developing a one-stop-shop online portal with an AI chatbot that routes residents to easily renew a license or access social services.

Of course, Utah is a small state in terms of population (3.5 million people live there), so any AI-related initiative is easier to implement. But if it succeeds, other states might follow Utah’s example – the state is called Silicon Slopes for a reason.

The US federal government is seemingly incapable of passing any meaningful legislation and regulations regarding the use of AI. Unsurprisingly, individual states are leading the way.

A recent study by Brainly, an AI education technology company, ranked Utah the third-most prepared state to “win the AI race.” Only Washington, DC, the capital, and New Hampshire are ahead.

Utah has already passed bills that create a state-run AI policy lab, clarify consumer protection liability for AI, and require AI disclosures in industries like finance and mental health. Nearly 13% of businesses in the state use AI.

Utah is even holding the 2025 Utah AI Summit at the beginning of December, where lawmakers and major business executives will tout the state’s “pro-human” leadership in the age of AI.

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