Utah

Building an AI program is a daunting proposition, but government has to start somewhere. From strengthening cybersecurity to improving 311, a handful of early adopters are finding safe and practical uses.

Amendments to the Utah Social Media Regulation Act would allow lawsuits if it can be proven that “addictive social media algorithms” contributed to the worsening of a child’s mental health. Related laws have been stopped in two other states.

As Georgia introduces new legislation to address cyberbullying and regulate teenage social media use, other states with comparative laws are facing staunch legal challenges related to privacy.

The Utah State Board of Education recently approved plans that would allow schools to make use of AI gun detection technology from the video analytics platform ZeroEyes. The technology is able to identify firearms in real time.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the grant funding, allocated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to propel digital construction tools such as computer modeling and 3D design in 10 state DOTs.

Remote hearings, adopted as a pandemic necessity, could become common going forward in some states. Minnesota and Arizona have created guides indicating which hearings are suited for remote and which should be in person.

Utah CTO David Fletcher will be retiring this week after over two decades in the role. In his final days in public service, he shared what he has learned and accomplished in a career peppered with technological disruption.

For state and local government agencies across the U.S., GIS technology has the power to inform decision-making, impact funding and improve the constituent experience through various applications.

Using federal funds intended to help schools reopen safely after COVID-19, Utah has put energy-efficient air purifiers in 60 percent of its schools and 55 percent of its state-certified day care centers since last fall.

New members of the Utah Board of Higher Education will include executives from biotech, financial tech and tech workforce development sectors, as well as board members of several technical institutions.

More state, local and educational entities should follow cybersecurity frameworks and ensure all staff participate in regular cybersecurity awareness training, the performance audit advised. Plus, the state legislative branch needs to develop both short-term and long-term cyber plans.

At the NASCIO Midyear conference, Utah CIO Alan Fuller outlined modernization plans and cloud migrations for major systems like health and human services and HR to lower operating costs statewide.

The distributed ledger technology, used in cryptocurrency, could potentially power food permits, social media access and other tasks. But blockchain still has serious political and logistical obstacles to overcome.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed two new laws focused on social media companies and the platforms they operate. The new rules would set usage limits for minors and restrict how the platforms target underage users.

Utah's Chief Innovation Officer Rich Saunders discusses the keys to success the state has found for improving customers' digital government experience, as well as what innovations are coming in this space.

In the recently released 2022 Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence analysis, eight leading states were recognized for their work with data and evidence to guide policymaking decisions.

Policymakers had other plans for the building that housed the state’s main data center. But as Utah CIO Alan Fuller explains, IT is using the opportunity to advance its multi-vendor cloud plan.