Utah Leaders Push Back Against Ban on State AI Regulation
Utah lawmakers and Governor Spencer Cox are voicing concerns over a provision in President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that could strip the state of its ability to regulate artificial intelligence. The bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives, is now before the Senate and includes a provision that would prevent states from enforcing their own AI-related laws for the next decade.
Governor Cox expressed his disappointment that many lawmakers who voted on the bill were unaware of the provision’s inclusion. “We’ve had conversations with members of the house – in fact, sadly, a lot of members of the house said they didn’t know that was included in the bill,” Cox said. Utah has been recognized for its AI rules and guidelines, which have been praised nationally and by AI companies. One such rule requires industries like healthcare to disclose when communications are conducted with AI. There’s concern that regulations such as this one would be unenforceable if the bill is passed.
The provision specifically imposes a 10-year moratorium on enforcing any state law that “limits, restricts, or otherwise regulates” artificial intelligence. Governor Cox acknowledged the federal government’s desire to avoid a patchwork of laws across states but emphasized the importance of Utah’s regulations. “Literally everyone we’ve talked to, in the White House, in the US Senate, in the House of Representatives has said, ‘That makes sense. That’s not what we’re trying to do with the BBB.’ So our hope is that the version of this bill that passes, whatever that looks like, will allow for the smart type of regulation that we’re doing in Utah,” he said.
Earlier this week, several Utah lawmakers sent a letter to the state’s senators, urging them to oppose the bill’s provision. The Senate plans to vote on the bill by July 4.
