Key Takeaways
- A recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll shows Utah residents are almost evenly split on AI: 38 % positive, 37 % negative, 25 % neutral.
- Political affiliation, age, and income strongly shape AI sentiment; Republicans, higher earners, and younger generations are more favorable.
- While Utahns express nuanced views on AI itself, 53 % oppose Kevin O’Leary’s proposed Stratos data‑center complex, and 69 % believe its water and energy costs outweigh economic benefits.
- Among AI users, the most common tasks are searching for information (60 %), research/schoolwork (31 %), and image/video creation (31 %); only 12 % use AI for most of their work.
- National Pew Research data reveal a more cautious stance nationwide, with 50 % of Americans expressing more concern than excitement about AI, contrasting with Utah’s near‑dead‑heat split.
Overall Sentiment Toward AI in Utah
The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll found that “38 % said they felt somewhat or very positive about AI, 37 % said their feelings were somewhat or very negative and 25 % reported being neutral.” This near‑equal division illustrates a populace that is neither enthusiastically embracing nor wholesale rejecting the technology. The poll’s margin of error of ±3 percentage points means the true split could tilt slightly either way, but the data clearly show a balanced ambivalence that sets Utah apart from more polarized national trends.
Demographic Divides Shaping AI Views
When the results are sliced by party affiliation, age, and income, distinct patterns emerge. “Among self‑identified Republicans in the poll, 50 % said they felt somewhat or very positive about AI compared to just 23 % of self‑identified Democrats.” Generational differences are equally stark: Gen Z leads with 59 % positive feelings, while only 28 % of baby boomers view AI favorably. Income also correlates with optimism—51 % of those earning over $100 000 annually express positivity, versus just 21 % of respondents making under $50 000. A modest gender gap appears as well, with 43 % of men versus 31 % of women reporting positive sentiments.
Public Reaction to the Stratos Data‑Center Proposal
Amid the AI debate, a concrete flashpoint has arisen: Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary’s plan to build one of the world’s largest data‑center complexes on a 40,000‑acre tract in western Box Elder County. The Deseret News notes that “a majority of residents, 53 %, have some level of opposition to O’Leary’s proposed project.” Critics argue that the project’s review process has limited resident participation and raised serious concerns about water consumption, air quality, and the scale of tax subsidies. The facility, if completed, would demand more than twice the electricity currently used by the entire state, intensifying worries about Utah’s already strained water and energy resources.
Cost‑Benefit Perception of Data Centers
When asked directly about the trade‑offs, “69 % agree with the statement that ‘the costs of new data centers to Utah’s water and energy resources outweigh their economic benefit such as jobs and tax revenue.’” This figure underscores a prevalent belief that the promised employment and fiscal gains may not justify the environmental toll. The sentiment reflects a broader apprehension that hyperscale data centers, driven by the AI arms race, could impose long‑term burdens on local ecosystems while delivering relatively short‑term economic boosts.
What Utahns Find Exciting About AI
Among respondents who harbor positive feelings toward AI, the poll identified the areas generating the most enthusiasm. “Medical research, the economy and arts/entertainment rated as the areas garnering the most AI‑related excitement, totaling 54 %, 40 % and 40 %, respectively.” These findings suggest that Utahns see AI’s potential primarily in advancing health breakthroughs, stimulating economic growth, and enriching cultural production, rather than in more controversial domains such as surveillance or autonomous weaponry.
Concerns Driving Negative AI Perceptions
Conversely, those with negative views pointed to specific worries. “Among respondents who said they had some level of negative feelings about AI, the top three most concerning areas were employment, source of news and K‑12 education, identified by 65 %, 57 % and 52 %, respectively.” The fear that AI could displace jobs, distort information ecosystems, and disrupt schooling mirrors national anxieties highlighted in a Quinnipiac University survey, where an associate professor warned of “too much uncertainty, too little trust, too little regulation, and too much fear about jobs.”
How Utahns Actually Use AI
Despite the mixed feelings, a substantial share of residents engage with AI in everyday life. “While 18 % of Utah poll participants said they don’t use AI, those who do reported a wide range of real‑life applications ranging from emotional support, 14 %, to the top category, searching for information, an AI task that 60 % of Utahns reported using.” Other frequent uses include helping with research or schoolwork (31 %), creating or editing images or videos (31 %), and engaging for fun or entertainment (28 %). Smaller proportions employ AI for summarizing content (23 %) or obtaining news (21 %). In the workplace, only 12 % of employed respondents said they use AI for most of their tasks, while 22 % said AI tools play a role in some work, and a quarter reported never using AI on the job.
National Context: Pew Research Findings
Utah’s near‑even split contrasts with broader national trends captured by the Pew Research Center. In a 25‑country survey, Pew found “42 % of people were equally concerned and excited about the increased use of AI in daily life, 34 % were more concerned than excited and 16 % were more excited than concerned.” Americans were even more skeptical: “50 % reporting more concern than excitement, 38% equally concerned and excited and just 10% more excited than concerned.” A subsequent Pew poll from November showed a narrower partisan divide, with 50 % of Republicans and 51 % of Democrats expressing more concern than excitement—a shift from prior years when Republicans were more wary.
Implications for Policy and Public Discourse
The data suggest that Utah policymakers face a dual challenge: addressing legitimate environmental and social concerns about hyperscale data‑center development while nurturing the public’s cautious optimism about AI’s beneficial applications. Transparent decision‑making, robust community engagement, and clear regulations governing water and energy use could help bridge the gap between skepticism and enthusiasm. Moreover, targeted outreach that highlights AI’s promise in medical research and economic innovation—while acknowledging fears about jobs, news integrity, and education—may foster a more informed, balanced conversation as the state navigates the rapid expansion of both AI technologies and the infrastructure that powers them.
https://www.deseret.com/business/2026/05/21/utah-data-centers-kevin-oleary-artificial-intelligence-ai-deseret-news-poll/