As I read America’s AI Action Plan, the much-awaited AI roadmap for the nation, I am delighted to see reflections of Utah’s AI innovation ecosystem. The plan outlines three pillars aimed at securing U.S. leadership in the age of AI:
- Innovations in AI, AI-enabled applications and AI-enabled science
- Infrastructure, including both physical and energy infrastructure, to power AI development and deployment
- A policy framework to ensure the secure and widespread adoption and deployment of U.S. AI innovations
Creating opportunities for the U.S. workforce and providing benefits to U.S. citizens is an overarching goal, and public-private partnerships serve as a fundamental mechanism in achieving it.
As outlined in our response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information, the State of Utah is catalyzing an AI-driven innovation ecosystem that brings together partners from government, academia and industry to drive research and development, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and create an AI-savvy workforce. This innovation ecosystem builds on three foundational principles: responsible innovation, public-private partnerships and accessible innovation infrastructure.
Central to the implementation of Utah’s ecosystem is the University of Utah’s One-U Responsible Artificial Intelligence Initiative. It brings together transdisciplinary research expertise, statewide advanced cyberinfrastructure, education and workforce development, partnerships, and community engagement to catalyze responsible AI innovation and application. Through this effort, the initiative addresses scientific and societal grand challenges while promoting fairness, accountability and transparency.
The initiative has also catalyzed (and continues to nurture) the Utah Responsible AI Community Consortium to create a framework that enables academia, government, industry and the community to collectively and symbiotically engage in the responsible development and use of AI, benefiting Utahns and the nation. Partnering with the first-in-the-nation Utah Office of AI Policy, which has the authority to grant innovation-enabling regulatory relief within regulatory sandboxes, we are exploring novel models for public-private partnerships, along with metrics and testbeds, to foster safe and responsible innovation and entrepreneurship.
Through these and other related initiatives across the state (e.g., Operation Gigawatt, aiming to double Utah’s power production), Utah is setting a new standard for AI innovation based on public-private partnerships, and is leading the nation in AI innovation and regulation. I believe that Utah’s AI innovation ecosystem can serve as a model for implementing America’s AI Action Plan, promoting innovation, economic leadership, and societal wellness and prosperity, and ensuring America’s AI dominance.