• Utah is positioned to be a leader in AI and should continue to find ways to lead in the area of AI in education as well.
• There is momentum to understand and implement AI in both K12 and higher education.

The 45-day game clock for the Utah legislative session kills many bills on its final day. Such was the fate of HB168 – Artificial Intelligence in Education, a bill sponsored by Rep. Ariel Defay to create a task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Utah education. The bill had unanimous and bipartisan support for each reported committee or floor vote it faced, so it is clear legislators feel the policy is needed. Though the bill died this year, the idea of creating statewide collaboration on AI in education is unlikely to go away.

That’s because Utah intends to be a leader in AI.

Utah’s current leadership in AI

Utah is known for its many tech companies that exist in the state, and government leaders are trying to harness that momentum. Last year, Gov. Cox signed SB 149, sometimes called the Utah AI Policy Act, which helps to create a model “AI governance framework,” policy that continues to get refined, so the state gets it right. The state created the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, which hosts the AI Learning Lab, where different stakeholders and leaders that use AI can “create thoughtful regulatory solutions for AI applications while encouraging innovation and protecting consumers.”

During remarks on the opening day of the 2025 session, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said, “We all know that we are in an arms race to control artificial intelligence. The country that controls AI will, in turn, control the world.”

Utah intends to be in that race and is positioned to be a leader in AI in education as well.

Here is some of what Utah education, government, and private leaders have done so far.

Utah State Board of Education’s efforts and K12 education

Last year, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) published a framework on AI in education on the state board website, describing the framework as a “living document.”

The framework lists a series of principles, responsible uses, and prohibited uses of AI for students, teachers, school operations, and even the community and families. It recognizes the potential of AI to help students learn and assist teachers to be efficient while also recognizing unethical uses like cheating.

The document appears to be intentionally broad and flexible, an important approach for a topic that is evolving. For example, the first principle listed is that AI is to be used to help “students achieve their educational goals.” All things in public education ought to be oriented toward that goal, even as relatively unknown technologies emerge, so this is a wise first principle. Another principle listed is that it seeks to “explore the opportunities of AI and address risks.” Hopefully, in practice, this balance tips in favor of being curious about its potential rather than fearful of its pitfalls. We can anticipate this framework to be modified over time.

That state board employs an AI specialist to help navigate this topic. The board was also a recent recipient of a large grant, which will, in part, fund an initiative to train K12 educators on AI and create a resource hub to prompt ideas for AI in education.

Individual districts have moved into this space on their own as well. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, Jordan School District partnered with SchoolAI, a Lehi-based technology company trying to bring AI integration into classrooms. This partnership allows teachers in the district to utilize resources like AI tutors, games, activities, dashboards to check student progress, opportunities to create personalized lesson plans, and more. Even as the state board and legislature attempt to put parameters around AI, we can anticipate more districts to strike out on their own and find opportunities for leadership at the local level.

Higher education and AI advancement 

Mere days after the 2025 session ended, leaders from Utah’s executive offices and legislative ranks, the Utah System of Higher Education, and several Utah universities signed a memorandum of understanding to create a public-private partnership with NVIDIA, a global leader in AI. The purpose of partnering with this group is to “equip Utah-based universities, community colleges, and adult education programs with resources to help students and workers build skills in generative AI.” NVIDIA will offer a host of resources, including an educator certificate from the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program.

The partnership involves specific Utah colleges and universities: Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Southern Utah University, The University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Tech University, Utah Valley University, and Weber State University. The partnership is intended to reinforce Utah’s leadership in AI.

As is the case in K12, individual institutions of higher education in Utah have adopted AI policies or guidelines and, in some cases, have created university-specific initiatives or education programs (the University of Utah launched the One-U Responsible AI Initiative, and Utah Valley University offers a graduate degree in AI).

Recommendation on a statewide approach to AI in education

AI has both positive and negative unknowns, which makes it difficult to govern with traditional political entities. Still, Utah leaders at all levels are staking a leadership role in navigating that reality.

This is also the case for education. The state should apply the following policy framework for AI: (1) allow AI innovation to happen and be cautious about creating regulatory guardrails, (2) pursue opportunities for collaboration in understanding AI in education, and; (3) seek best practices for those implementing AI in Utah schools and universities.

Sutherland Institute policy intern Alexis Morgan contributed research to this article.