Draper forum produces 10 AI proposals for Utah officials

Thirty-eight residents of Cache, Salt Lake and Utah counties met in Draper on Sept. 18 and 19 for the Utah Solutions Forum, and 10 proposals they drafted cleared a 75 percent threshold to become the forum's recommendations, with 92 percent of the delegates endorsing the package as a whole, according to the forum's preliminary report 1.

The proposals will be presented to local and state officials at a reception in November, the report states, and delegates will be invited to advocate for them directly with elected officials 1.

The delegates were chosen by civic lottery from a pool of 376 eligible registrants, in a draw designed to match the region's mix of county, age, gender, race and political leaning 1. The report states that 364 possible 40-person panels were assembled and a single random draw selected one of them, and that 38 delegates took part after two withdrew for health reasons in the days before the event 1.

Four proposals address how residents find information and take part. The report lists a multilingual AI information hub listing policies, proposed projects, maps of AI developments and a calendar of public meetings, which drew 95 percent support; a citizen engagement portal built on existing resources such as my.utah.gov, at 84 percent; AI literacy classes in the state's sixty community libraries, funded through existing library enhancement funds, at 95 percent; and a public awareness campaign pointing residents to the other three, at 82 percent 1.

Three proposals address hyperscale data centers. One would move local approval of a hyperscale data center from an administrative land-use decision to a vote of city councils and county commissions, which the report states would trigger public notice and hearing requirements and close workarounds through state-level entities such as MIDA; it drew 89 percent 1. A second would require state permits and an applicant-funded environmental and economic impact analysis covering projected water use and sources, power generation, and air, soil, light and noise impacts, at 92 percent 1. A third would set statewide standards for data centers, onsite power generation and public AI tools, informed by an industry-funded panel of subject matter experts, audited regularly, reviewed every five years and enforced through clawbacks and fines, at 92 percent 1.

The remaining three address accountability. One would require state, county and municipal officials to recuse themselves from decisions involving an entity where they have reported a conflict of interest, including the interests of a spouse or immediate family, at 92 percent 1. One states that nondisclosure agreements should continue to protect trade secrets and other confidential business information but should not shield matters involving public funds, infrastructure, safety or environmental impact, with a court or independent review body deciding where the two conflict, at 95 percent 1. The tenth would add an AI harm category to the Division of Consumer Protection's complaint portal and publish aggregated complaint data, and it drew 97 percent, the highest of any proposal the forum considered 1.

The forum met in an office building that houses Bamboo, Ancestry and the e-commerce company Redo, on the outskirts of Silicon Slopes, the Salt Lake Tribune reported 2. Zach Boyd, director of the state Office of AI Policy, addressed the delegates and called Utah "disproportionately influential" on AI policy, the Tribune reported 2. The report also lists Dea Theodore, chair of the Salt Lake County Council, among the speakers who framed the forum's question 1.

The report describes limits on what the panel represents. It states that a 40-person panel is too small to speak for any single demographic group, and that because the last four seats were filled from a backup pool of people already connected to the forum rather than by lottery, the panel was not fully drawn at random 1.

The forum took place while the proposed Stratos data center in Box Elder County was drawing public opposition 2. The Tribune reported that the controversy contributed to Senate President Stuart Adams losing his reelection bid in June, that Gov. Spencer Cox has since said the project's rollout was not good, and that Cox asked Congress in September to develop a national framework on AI transparency, safety and accountability 2.

The report states that Utah Common Ground will work with delegates on next steps in the coming weeks, that proposals which fell short of the threshold will be reported in forthcoming addendums, and that its partner BLOOM is developing a federated model of public participation in AI governance that includes a National Civic Assembly on AI in 2028 1. Utah Common Ground is a coalition that includes Braver Angels, the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence at Utah State University, AEGIX, Engage Forum and Mormon Women for Ethical Government 1.

Sources: 1 Utah Common Ground, Utah Solutions Forum Preliminary Recommendations Report, updated Sept. 28, 2026 — https://www.utahcommonground.org/_files/ugd/974a12_6de362e8b92d470a9aaf14e6c2946379.pdf 2 The Salt Lake Tribune, "He lost his ghost-writing job. She was let go as an app designer. Here's how they think Utah should protect workers — and rein in AI," Oct. 19, 2026 — https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/10/19/everyday-utahns-find-common-ground/