The big picture

Conversations at Utah’s 2025 AI Summit point to a simple conclusion: artificial intelligence demands human leadership. IT Specialist Stephanie Watts emphasized emotional intelligence as the safeguard that keeps AI ethical, useful, and aligned with real-world values. Tools accelerate outcomes, but people determine direction.

Why it matters

AI already influences how Utahns work, learn, and interpret information. Without thoughtful human guidance, systems can reinforce bias, amplify stereotypes, and produce harmful assumptions. Throughout the summit, presenters highlighted how poorly constructed prompts and limited data sets shape distorted outputs, often without user awareness.

Keeping humans in the loop protects against those risks. Emotional intelligence adds context, empathy, and judgment where automation alone falls short.

What they’re saying

“AI only works as well as the person using the tool,” said Watts. “The top thing that I’m going to bring back to my team, is not to not be scared of this, but AI is the future. There’s no stopping that. But if you’re on the forefront of learning the tools correctly, then you’re [not] just going to survive, you’re going to thrive.”

Watts urges her team to move past the fear and uncertainty of AI by encouraging early learning and responsible experimentation.

The bottom line

AI defines the future, but humans shape its impact. Utah’s emphasis on emotional intelligence, early education, and proactive policy is a model that prioritizes people alongside innovation.