Utah Executive Order Requires AI Literacy Training for State Agencies

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed Executive Order 2026-08 on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, requiring applicable employees of state executive agencies to complete AI literacy training and setting "pro-human" rules for how those agencies choose and deploy artificial intelligence. The order took effect immediately and directs the Department of Government Operations to give the governor its first progress report by 1 July 2027. It builds on the Pro-Human AI Initiative that Cox launched in December 2025.

"The choice between innovation and safety in government is a false one," Cox said in the governor's news release. "AI represents a generational opportunity to better serve Utahns, but technology must always remain accountable to the people."

What the order requires of state agencies

The order tells agencies to avoid AI technologies that do not adhere strictly to two foundational principles. The first, "human-guided," says AI systems should protect human dignity, preserve human agency and keep people in control of the tools that shape their work. The second, "human-enhancing," says AI should amplify human potential.

Each covered agency must, in coordination with the Division of Technology Services, make sure applicable employees complete AI literacy training prescribed by that division and the Division of Human Resource Management. Agencies must also evaluate ways to optimize or transform their business functions with AI "in a cost-effective manner," and actively investigate and propose citizen-facing processes and automated workflows that could responsibly be optimized or transformed using AI.

Transparency is written in as a separate duty. Agencies must document how AI systems, including their inputs, outputs and roles in decision-making, are integrated into processes that affect the public, and must share resources, best practices and findings with one another.

The order's definition of "agency" covers departments, divisions, offices and bureaus in the executive branch, including the State Tax Commission, the National Guard and the Board of Pardons and Parole. It excludes higher education institutions, the Utah Board of Higher Education, the State Board of Education, the Attorney General's Office, the State Auditor's Office, the State Treasurer's Office, and the legislative and judicial branches, among others.

Safeguards against rogue agents and fraud

The Department of Government Operations is assigned to lead statewide AI-driven process improvements. Under the order, it must establish guardrails and technical safeguards protecting state IT systems and data "from cyberattacks, malicious actors, and unauthorized or rogue AI agents," and give agencies the guidance and support to put equivalent protections in place.

The department must also help agencies find places where AI could reduce wait times, expand access to public services and improve operations, while ensuring human-in-the-loop review for determinations affecting individual rights. The order also directs it to develop and use Utah's State-Endorsed Digital Identity Framework, known as SEDI, as the state's "strategic trust infrastructure for AI." The order says SEDI enables cryptographically verifiable identities, credentials and data intended to prevent identity fraud, impersonation, unauthorized AI agent activity and fraudulent digital content.

"Through comprehensive employee literacy, robust technical safeguards, and privacy-preserving digital identity frameworks, we are empowering our workforce to innovate safely," Marvin Dodge, commissioner of the Department of Government Operations, said in the release.

How the training program will be built

The Division of Technology Services carries most of the training work. Working with Human Resource Management, it must set up an AI literacy strategy for employees in all agencies covering foundational AI concepts, practical uses of approved state AI tools, and the ethical and pro-human principles that govern their use. It must also develop specialized training in AI systems analysis for designated agency leads who are accountable for evaluating AI-assisted process improvements.

The order asks the division to evaluate scalable training platforms and content providers, "prioritizing Utah-based entities." It also directs the division to coordinate uniform AI implementation standards for state government and to evaluate next-generation AI tools for detecting cybersecurity threats at scale.

The order adds that nothing in it limits agencies' obligations under existing law, naming Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act, the Government Data Privacy Act, and federal privacy and civil rights law.

How the order fits Utah's AI initiative

The governor's office describes effective state government deployment of AI as one of seven pillars of the Pro-Human AI Initiative. Margaret Woolley Busse, commissioner of the Department of Commerce, and Jefferson Moss, commissioner of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, who co-chair the initiative, said in a joint statement that the standards let agencies "harness AI tools dynamically and efficiently while preserving public trust, transparency, and accountability."

Utah News Dispatch reported that the order pairs the training requirement with an instruction for agencies to use AI tools to "streamline internal processes and radically improve citizen-facing applications." KUTV reported that the Department of Government Operations will be expected to submit annual progress reports starting 1 July 2027.

The state's AI policy office is also running pilots outside government operations. PromptCrates covered a Utah pilot that lets Nolla Health's AI write first acne prescriptions under an agreement with the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy. Other public bodies have issued guidance on staff AI use and literacy, including the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent's stoplight policy for staff AI models and the Council of Europe's recommendation on AI literacy across its 46 member states.

• State of Utah: Executive Order 2026-08 (PDF)
• Office of the Governor: Gov. Cox signs executive order establishing Utah's pro-human approach to AI in state government
• Utah News Dispatch: Cox's pro-human AI order directs state government to use responsible AI
• KUTV: Gov. Cox mandates AI training, integration for state agencies
• PromptCrates: Utah pilot lets Nolla Health's AI write first acne prescriptions
• PromptCrates: D.C. OSSE issues stoplight staff AI model policy
• PromptCrates: Council of Europe urges AI literacy across 46 states