Candidates Offer Competing Plans on Inflation, Jobs and AI Regulation

The debate devoted multiple questions to rising costs, jobs and the role of AI in the labor market. Kent Udell said corporate concentration has allowed companies to keep prices high after supply chains recovered: "There's a lot of gouging that is going on," he said, and he called for policies to put more money into workers' pockets.

Celeste Malloy touted tax measures she supported — including making portions of the 2017 tax cuts permanent and expanding child tax credits — as ways to keep more money in Utahns' pockets. Speaking directly to students concerned about AI and careers, Malloy told them not to "buy" the doom and gloom: "learn to use AI, to harness the power of AI and turn that into family sustaining jobs." Udell emphasized regulating AI deployment, labeling AI-generated content, and protecting human decision-making on critical matters.