Opinion: AI has a home in Utah, and it’s creating newfound prosperity for all

Across Utah, people are using AI to transform the world around them for the better, and as is frequently the case, our small businesses are leading the way. Innovators and technology-leading business leaders across our state are incorporating AI tools in aspects of everyday life as common as going to the grocery store or as critical as providing mental health services to students. With AI advancements and Utah’s ambitious and renowned private sector, our state is on the cusp of unprecedented levels of prosperity and a robust economy that benefits every Utah resident.

Utah grocery store Davis Food & Drug, for example, recently launched a new program to introduce Caper Carts at its stores, smart grocery carts equipped with AI. These Caper Carts not only allow customers to track spending and access coupons but also to check off items in their cart and get personalized recommendations. It improves the shopping experience for customers, making them more efficient and faster in finding the items that they and their families require.

AI is also helping solve staffing shortages in key services here in Utah, like mental health providers. While AI is not a substitute for a trained customer service representative or mental health professional, it can make trained professionals’ knowledge and expertise more accessible. One Utah company is doing just that: creating an AI chatbot (ElizaCHAT) to help students experiencing mental health issues. ElizaCHAT’s approach uses AI to disseminate advice and guidance from clinically trained psychiatrists and experts to students, when it would otherwise be impossible for every student to meet with a professional one-on-one.

Even in our state’s classrooms, where the next generation of business leaders are honing their skills and entrepreneurial spirits, AI is being utilized to improve outcomes. For example, Utah teachers are beginning to use AI to create tailored and interactive learning plans for their students. At East Midvale Elementary , fifth-grade teacher Laura Bettison has seen remarkable results when asking AI to generate lesson plans and content for her class. She utilizes AI to help with many of the menial aspects of making a lesson plan, like updating lesson plan language and strategies to make ideas and concepts more accessible to students’ unique learning levels. This allows Bettison to spend more time on her relationships with her students, cultivating their growth and desire to learn, instead of working on paperwork that used to take hours.

All these developments in AI in Utah have happened just in the past few months. AI is thriving in Utah thanks in large part to our hard work and commitment to going above and beyond, but also due to smart policies set by our lawmakers. They have recognized the risks of AI and addressed them responsibly, all while encouraging and fostering an environment where AI can innovate and thrive. Like in May of this year, when our legislature passed legislation that ensured that people who commit crimes using AI can still be prosecuted under existing anti-fraud legal frameworks. This is an important step that every state should take, as it crucially remedies some of the most pressing concerns around the abuse of AI tools, without creating sweeping new and untested regulations that often fail to address the underlying and legitimate issues.

AI has enormous potential for every Utahn, across economic sectors, government agencies and education. We simply cannot afford to miss out on the benefits of this new technology due to misconceptions or overregulation. Businesses, large and small, here in Salt Lake City and across our state, are already utilizing AI tools to improve nearly every aspect of their businesses. Both their workers and customers are benefiting immeasurably, whether from improved services, lower costs or increased access. Utah must continue to be a leader in AI, and that starts in Salt Lake City with policymakers who both understand the potential of AI and are willing to create an environment for AI to succeed.

Bill Rappleye is president of WER Enterprises and two-term Draper City council member.