Let’s be real, Utah’s not perfect. It doesn’t have a billion-dollar venture fund on every block. You won’t find the density of Stanford grads or the influencer-stacked coworking spaces of New York City. However, what it lacks in polish, it compensates for with something far more valuable: freedom to operate. When it comes to trying new things and innovating, Utah’s default setting is “yes.” There’s no innovation-killing tech tax, no local board micromanaging your product, and no state AI law designed to gut private industry. Instead, entrepreneurs encounter a rare environment — policymakers who actively want them to build.

That shows up everywhere. Utah’s new Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy works with a range of AI companies and has made significant progress in its first year toward advancing innovation in the state. Utah is one of the only places in the country with an office of this kind and a regulatory safe-haven to back it up — offering a safe space for companies to quickly test new tools without getting buried in lawsuits. Meanwhile, job postings seeking candidates with AI skills in Utah have surged over 250% in the past year, showing that the private sector is already responding.

And then there’s the many projects and startups already underway in the state. Through Project Alta, for example,Utah wants air taxis running between SLC and surrounding cities by 2034. Project Gigawatt, a public-private effort to build out nuclear energy that can power AI data centers sustainably through increased production of energy facilities. And let’s not forget the University of Utah’s new Stena Center for Financial Technology, building a talent pipeline for AI, financial technology and crypto industries. Utah isn’t talking about innovation — it’s putting it on the grid, in the air and in the classroom.

Utah’s fundamentals are solid — low taxes, affordable land and a business-friendly government that sees entrepreneurs as assets rather than enemies. This is a state that believes in personal responsibility, lean government and letting people experiment. That mindset is gold for anyone building something new. It’s why companies like Adobe, Qualtrics and Lucid have set up serious operations here — and why others are starting to follow.

Unlike other states, you won’t be the thousandth AI startup fighting for an overpriced co-working desk in Utah. You’ll be one of the first to bring your idea to a market that’s hungry, open and underserved.

Think of it like Austin in 2011, before investment capital flooded in and the traffic backed up. That’s where Utah is now, and it’s already got six-lane highways to handle traffic. The question is — who’s going to get here in time to catch the wave?

Devin McCormick is the tech and innovation policy analyst at the Libertas Institute.