tech
SPONSORED How Claude Code could help reshape Utah government
Alan Fuller, Utah's chief information officer, and Christian Napier, Utah's director of AI, discuss what the pilot revealed and what comes next for AI across Utah's public sector.
TL;DR
- Utah is recommending statewide adoption of Claude Code for software developers and expanding its AI partnership with Anthropic.
- A four-week pilot involving 34 developers across 10 agencies showed significant success.
- 80% of participants set up a working environment in under 30 minutes, and 77% had a "magic moment" or win within an hour.
- 71% of developers reported saving at least 20 hours over the four-week period, with 29% saving over 40 hours.
- Developers' roles evolved, with nearly 90% seeing a shift towards more strategic thinking and acting as directors or orchestrators.
- Using AI tools increased developers' confidence in handling complex projects and made their work more satisfying.
- The state is focusing on business outcomes, such as improved customer experience, rather than using AI for its own sake.
- Utah is developing an AI factory to systematize project deployment, conducting risk assessments, and working with data privacy and security offices.
- Future AI use cases include chatbots and agentic AI, with a long-term goal to transform state business processes and improve service quality.
- Despite acknowledging risks, Utah is optimistic about AI's potential to increase efficiency, improve decision-making, and enhance service delivery.