Utah Gov. Cox signs executive order on state AI use and literacy training

Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed an executive order on October 6, 2026, establishing a structured, pro-human framework for artificial intelligence integration across state government.

The order advances the Pro-Human AI Initiative, established in December 2025, by directing state agencies to maintain rigorous safeguards for human agency, data privacy and trust while leveraging AI to enhance public services and improve efficiency.

What it is

The directive is a gubernatorial executive order rather than legislation, applying to Utah state government agencies and their use of artificial intelligence. Effective state government deployment of AI is one of the seven pillars of the Pro-Human AI initiative.

What it requires

The order directs the Utah state government to mandate AI literacy training for the workforce, direct agencies to utilize AI to streamline internal processes and radically improve citizen-facing applications, implement technical guardrails to mitigate security risks, and use the State-Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) Framework.

The Division of Technology Services, in coordination with the Division of Human Resource Management, designs and implements a comprehensive AI literacy training strategy for all state agency employees and specialized training for agency AI leads.

The Department of Government Operations leads statewide AI-driven process improvements, establishes technical safeguards against cybersecurity threats and rogue AI agents, and implements the SEDI Framework for cryptographically verifiable digital credentials and privacy protection.

The Department of Government Operations will submit an annual progress report to the Governor beginning July 1, 2027.

What security leaders should do

Security leaders inside Utah state agencies should treat the mandated AI literacy training as a baseline compliance deadline to track, since the order ties training design to the Division of Technology Services and Division of Human Resource Management rather than leaving it to individual agencies. Because the order explicitly tasks the Department of Government Operations with building technical safeguards against cybersecurity threats and rogue AI agents, CISOs and risk teams should seek early visibility into those guardrail specifications before procuring or deploying citizen-facing AI tools. Teams evaluating AI-enabled workflows should also plan for how the State-Endorsed Digital Identity Framework will intersect with existing identity and access controls, since the order names SEDI as the trust infrastructure underpinning agency AI use. Finally, given the annual reporting requirement beginning July 1, 2027, security and governance staff should build internal documentation and metrics now so that agency contributions to that progress report can demonstrate compliance with the order's safeguards rather than being assembled after the fact.