Response draws on Utah’s first-in-the-nation AI policy office and statewide education and research initiatives.
Recognizing the essential role of artificial intelligence (AI) in national security, economic prosperity, and scientific advancement, and the critical importance of ensuring US leadership in AI, the State of Utah is catalyzing an AI-driven innovation ecosystem that brings together partners from government, academia, and industry to drive research and development, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and create an AI-savvy workforce. This innovation ecosystem builds on three foundational principles: Responsible Innovation, Public-Private Partnerships, and Accessible Innovation Infrastructure. Utah’s AI strategy can inform a national priority policy action plan for AI to sustain and enhance America’s AI dominance to promote national security, economic competitiveness, and societal wellness and prosperity. This response highlights policies, mechanisms, and experiences underlying Utah’s blueprint for an AI-enabled future.
The response discusses AI Initiatives and Activities across Utah including the first-in-the-nation Office of AI Policy, the Utah State Board of Education, Higher Education (University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University), the Responsible AI Community Consortium, the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN), and the Utah – NVIDIA partnership.
Public-private partnerships are presented as essential to advancing AI research, commercialization, and governance. Utah’s strategy leverages industry expertise and academic research to drive innovation while informing effective policy and regulation.
The response emphasizes the importance of a shared cyberinfrastructure ecosystem to support AI research, entrepreneurship, and workforce training. State investment into reliable energy production is critical to support AI-driven growth and technological advancement.
The document concludes with recommended policy actions informed by Utah’s experience, offering guidance for national AI strategy. These include establishing federal learning laboratories, empowering state-level regulatory experimentation, advancing shared AI infrastructure, clarifying intellectual property frameworks, supporting energy development, and providing flexible funding for education and workforce training. Together, these recommendations position Utah’s model as a scalable blueprint for responsible AI leadership at the national level.
Read the full Utah-RAI-CC-Response to the AI Action Plan RFI