About the Initiative
Our Mission
The Pro-Human AI Initiative was developed to ensure a balanced approach to AI, ensuring public safety while promoting an innovative technology ecosystem in Utah. By bringing these six domains together under one umbrella, Utah is building a future where technology strengthens society by empowering the people within it—ensuring we lead the nation in responsible, human-first innovation.
Utah’s Thriving Tech Ecosystem
From startups to leading multinationals, Utah’s collaborative tech ecosystem is primed to accelerate responsible AI innovation and investment.
In Utah, the tech industry has grown by more than 10% over the past five years, contributed more than $25 billion to Utah’s GDP during that time, and employs more than 80,000 Utahns. Big picture: the industry’s growth rate is around 2.5 times the national average, and Utah had more tech job growth than any other state in 2025.
Utah also has more billion-dollar startups per capita than any other state. It is consistently among the top three states nationally for “unicorn” companies (privately held companies valued at $1 billion or more). This is in no small part due to the unique combination of collaboration, innovation, talent, and capital found in Utah — and, naturally, that talent and capital are leaning into AI and related innovation. In fact, Utah ranked first in the nation on the 2025 AI Readiness Index.
Learning from the Past: The Social Media Context
Utah is committed to establishing a framework that encourages the development of better technologies, ensuring that future advancements in AI are accompanied by robust protections and thoughtful regulations that serve the public interest.
Utah’s approach to Artificial Intelligence is informed by valuable insights gained from the evolution of social media. Over the past decade, the rise of diverse social media platforms has showcased the incredible potential of technology to connect people and foster communication. However, as these platforms rapidly expanded, the need for thoughtful guidelines and effective safeguards became increasingly clear.
Recognizing the challenges faced, particularly with respect to its youth, Utah has proactively sought to enhance digital experiences. Legislative findings have highlighted concerns surrounding addictive features, like infinite scrolling and algorithmic curation, designed to maximize engagement. This realization propelled the state to advocate for a balanced approach, championing user well-being and promoting responsible platform design.
In response, Utah enacted landmark legislation, including the "Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act," aiming to hold companies accountable while also encouraging innovation in safer practices. This forward-thinking strategy recognizes that protecting users is an ongoing journey, requiring collaboration among tech firms, regulators, and the community to foster an ecosystem that prioritizes safety while embracing innovation.
A New Path Forward: The Pro-Human AI Framework
In 2024, Utah made a significant step forward in governance by establishing the Office of AI Policy through the Artificial Intelligence Policy Act, a pioneering effort led by Senator Kirk Cullimore and former Representative Jefferson Moss. This initiative marked the creation of the nation’s first dedicated state office focused on the proactive governance of emerging AI technologies.
The Office of AI Policy plays a vital role in fostering innovation while ensuring public safety. It operates a voluntary regulatory mitigation program alongside a Learning Lab designed to study the real-world impacts of AI. This Lab encourages collaboration among Utah's AI companies, industry experts, academics, regulators, and community stakeholders. By promoting active observation and learning, the Lab aims to develop sound, evidence-based policy recommendations for the state legislature.
One of the Lab’s initial focus areas was the intersection of AI and mental health. It produced a comprehensive white paper that explored critical issues, including developer liability protections, professional guidance for clinicians, and enhanced consumer safeguards—particularly in data privacy and targeted advertising. The insights from this research directly contributed to the formulation of HB 452, which implemented regulations for mental health chatbots, mandating transparency disclosures and safeguarding personal information.
Through these initiatives, the Utah Office of AI Policy is committed to balancing innovation and public protection, ensuring that the state's approach to AI remains both responsible and forward-thinking. For more information, visit ai.utah.gov.
Determined to ensure that the next wave of technological disruption—artificial intelligence—serves rather than subverts human interests, Governor Spencer Cox launched the Pro-Human AI Initiative.
Drawing on the hard-won experience with social media, this initiative establishes a framework that places people at the center of every technological decision. It is built upon two core principles designed to prevent the loss of agency and control seen in previous digital eras:
- AI Must Be Human-Guided: Systems must protect human dignity and ensure individuals remain in control. We reject systems that obscure how they operate or mislead users. AI must be understandable, accountable, and adaptable to human needs.
- AI Must Be Human-Enhancing: Technology should amplify human potential, expanding our capabilities rather than diminishing them. It must be pioneering, empowering, and connective.
The Task Force and Six Pillars
To operationalize this vision, Governor Cox tasked the Executive Directors of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Utah Department of Commerce to convene a Pro-Human AI Task Force. This body serves as the state's lead coordinating group, bringing together subject matter experts to drive responsible development across six strategic domains (pillars):
- Public Protection: Prioritizing regulatory relief that supports innovation while maintaining essential guardrails for safety, such as transparency regarding AI bots and deepfakes.
- Workforce Empowerment: Investing in accelerators and apprenticeships to connect workforce needs with student learning, ensuring AI equips workers with better tools.
- Industry Innovation: Aligning economic incentives with pro-human values to recognize organizations leading in responsible innovation.
- Academic Research & Development: Launching moonshot challenges and connecting researchers with startups to drive human-centered breakthroughs.
- Learning & Education: Working with the State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) to ensure AI supports student learning and teacher effectiveness while keeping human agency central to the classroom.
- State Government Deployment: Scaling internal state government AI implementation to make government services more efficient, transparent, and accessible while upholding robust privacy standards.
Pro-Human AI Exploratory Sessions
In the fall of 2025, Governor Cox tasked the Executive Directors from two of his agencies, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Utah Department of Commerce, to convene Utah’s AI subject matter experts in a series of discussions in key focus areas, which guided the establishment of the Values and Six Pillars of the Pro-Human AI Initiative.