Artificial Intelligence

After voting yes on a hyperscale data center to be built in Box Elder County, hundreds of protestors booed the county commissioners out of the building. But as Commissioner Lee Perry explains, their vote wouldn’t have stopped the project.

Opponents are filing grievances with the Division of Water Rights. The state engineer will consider those and might hold a hearing before deciding whether to approve the water right’s change of use.

“We will ensure that the development is done responsibly and in a manner that protects the best interest of the Box Elder County and its residents,” the county commission said in a statement.

The Utah Medical Licensing Board has “major concerns” and worries Utahns could potentially be harmed. But the Department of Commerce stood by the pilot program.

Doug Fiefia once worked at Google. Now he's a Utah state Republican representative running to be a state senator. And like some other tech employees who've gone into politics, he's made regulating the artificial intelligence industry a campaign centerpiece.

When it comes to prediction markets, if it “walks like a duck and quacks like a duck,” Gov. Spencer Cox said. “It's a duck” — meaning the apps are gambling, and should be banned in Utah.

We’re talking tech (hello, AI!), we’re talking state sovereignty and we’re talking about child safety (two big Utah tentpoles).

A memo from the White House said a child safety AI bill from state Republican Rep. Doug Fiefia was “an unfixable bill that goes against the Administration’s AI agenda.”

Forecasting snow conditions in Utah’s mountains can be tricky, but accurate predictions are vital for everything from ski trips to avalanche safety. An AI forecast tool developed at the University of Utah might help.

Since 2022, Los Angeles County has used a predictive AI model to help it identify who is at risk for homelessness. That has some Utah leaders, including incoming state homeless coordinator Tyler Clancy, intrigued.

Maybe, but even the ones that want to be environmentally friendly face energy challenges.

While not immune to national factors, Utah could be in a better position than the rest of the country to weather a future economic downturn because of its diversified economy and homogenous political landscape.