As federal government seeks AI moratorium, Utah offers alternative model
Jun 24, 2025, 12:00 PM
FILE - The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)
(Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is taking a much different approach to artificial intelligence regulation than the federal government is.
Related: Inside Sources: Utah lawmakers challenge AI moratorium in Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
While some national lawmakers are calling for a 10-year pause on AI regulations, Margaret Woolley-Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, said the state wants to strike a balance between innovation and consumer safety. She also said that the government is often slow to react to technology, which is why Utah has created this legislation.
“Too often, what happens in government is the technology moves forward at a very, very fast pace and government has a very difficult time catching up with it,” Woolley-Busse said. “And so what we put into place in Utah is a mechanism that allows us to observe and learn while also giving us space to encourage innovation and protect the public. And that’s the model we think should be adopted nationally.”
In 2024, the Utah Department of Commerce launched the Office of Artificial Intelligence.
“We’ve already had many states copy the legislation that created this approach, and we think that the national government, the federal government, should look at this as well,” Woolley-Busse said.
She said she hopes the federal government will consider Utah’s approach to AI regulation, rather than imposing a 10-year moratorium on all state-level laws.
Artificial intelligence and mental health
One focus in Utah right now is how companies are using AI to provide mental health conversations to consumers. Regulators are voicing concerns, as sharing sensitive personal information with unregulated AI platforms could pose serious data privacy issues.
“In terms of our commitment to enabling innovation, encouraging innovation, but also making sure that we’re protecting the public, and then all the while having a framework that allows us to observe and learn proactively what’s happening in technology.”
