TLDR: Utah State Representative Doug Fiefia has been selected to co-chair the newly formed National Task Force on State AI Policy, a bipartisan initiative aimed at guiding artificial intelligence policy at the state level. The task force, announced by the Future Caucus, will work to prevent partisan gridlock and provide resources for state lawmakers on AI legislation.
State Representative Doug Fiefia, a Republican from Herriman, Utah, has been appointed to co-chair the National Task Force on State AI Policy. This new bipartisan initiative, announced on Monday by the Future Caucus—a national nonprofit supporting young policymakers—aims to serve as a ‘national brain trust for responsible AI governance at the state level.’
The task force’s primary objective is to counteract ‘partisan gridlock’ that could impede effective AI policy development and to equip state lawmakers with the necessary tools and resources before they enact legislation. It plans to host public hearings and confidential briefings on AI, culminating in a policy memo designed to guide AI policymaking across the country.
Fiefia will co-chair the task force alongside Monique Priestley, a Democratic state representative from Vermont, who also has a background in AI legislation. Fiefia, a former Google employee and a vocal advocate for data and AI policies, recently completed his first legislative session in the Utah House. During this session, he successfully passed HB418, a groundbreaking bill that promotes interoperability among tech and social media companies, granting users greater control over their data and encouraging data-sharing across platforms.
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In a statement, Fiefia emphasized the critical nature of this moment, stating, ‘This is a defining moment. We can’t afford to let AI policy be divided by party or decided by default. As younger lawmakers, we have a unique opportunity to lead with balance and foresight.’ The formation of this task force follows recent developments in the U.S. Senate, where a proposed moratorium on state-based artificial intelligence laws was removed from a Republican bill, indicating a shift away from federal exclusivity in AI regulation.
