Trump Wants to Stop States from Regulating AI. This Utah Republican Isn't Listening
Doug Fiefia, a Republican, has a background in technology and is running for the state senate with a pledge to tackle AI.
RIVERTON, Utah, April 19, 2026 (AP) — When a dozen Republican activists gathered on a back deck in the Salt Lake City suburbs to talk about this year's elections, the conversation cycled through all the staples of conservative chatter in Utah such as dwindling water supplies, illegal immigrant fraud and chemtrail conspiracy theories.
But Doug Fiefia, a state representative running to be a state senator, wanted to start with something else — artificial intelligence. Fiefia used to work at Google and, like several other tech employees who have gone into politics, he has made regulating the industry a centerpiece of his campaign.
“I know it sounds like ‘Doug, this is all you talk about,”’ Fiefia said. “That’s because it’s coming, it’s here and it’s going to be our biggest fight.”
