- Utah Rep. Doug Fiefia was picked to lead a national AI policy task force.
- Fiefia, a former Google employee, co-chairs with Vermont's Rep. Monique Priestley.
- The task force aims to guide state AI policy, promoting bipartisan cooperation.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Rep. Doug Fiefia has been tapped to lead a national task force to guide state policy on artificial intelligence.
As one of the newest members of the Utah Legislature, Fiefia made waves during his first legislative session by sponsoring a landmark online privacy bill and was one of the leading proponents of Utah's efforts to strip a provision in the recent federal spending bill that would have stopped states from passing regulations on artificial intelligence technology.
Now, the Herriman Republican will head up a nationwide task force on AI policy launched by Future Caucus, a nonprofit aimed at promoting bipartisan cooperation and effective government among Gen Z and millennial lawmakers. Fiefia was named a co-chairman of the new task force along with state Rep. Monique Priestley, a Democrat from Vermont.
Fiefia said he is "proud" to lead the task force alongside Priestley in a statement Monday, saying: "We're bringing Gen Z and millennial lawmakers together to lead on AI, shape bipartisan policy and elevate young voices in tech governance."
"As young lawmakers, Rep. Fiefia and Rep. Priestley are stepping up to ensure AI legislation is driven by balance, innovation and foresight — not political gridlock," the Future Caucus said in a social media post. "Rep. Fiefia brings real-world tech experience to the table. A former Google employee, he just wrapped his first session in the Utah House — where he passed a groundbreaking bill to give users more control over their own data."
The organization described the task force as a "national brain trust," and said it would work on policy memos and hold public hearings to help give lawmakers around the country "tools to govern AI responsibly at the state level."
Priestley founded and runs a nonprofit community workspace and is focused on consumer protections, according to her official bio. She helped pass a bill in Vermont that requires businesses to protect minors' data and privacy online, which is similar to online regulations enacted by Utah lawmakers in recent years.
