Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed an “AI Bill of Rights” to protect Floridians amid rapid AI advancements, emphasizing transparency and control over personal data.
TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined new proposed legislation aimed at putting stronger safeguards on artificial intelligence.
It is a powerful technology that’s moving at lightning speed, and the governor is trying to keep pace by pushing a so-called “AI Bill of Rights.”
“This is basically protecting against this technology running amok in a way that can be harmful to individuals,” DeSantis said. “This is real. This is going to impact people’s lives.”
The new proposal includes parental controls and safeguards to keep personal information secure.
“We believe that there should be transparency to consumers and that there should be a notice that they are acting with artificial intelligence,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis believes President Trump’s executive order limiting certain state-level AI regulations does not prevent Florida from moving forward with its own consumer safeguards and protections.
“We anticipate that this will be something we will have to pay attention to,” John Licato, an associate professor at USF, said.
Licato runs an AI tech startup supported by Embarc Collective.
“A lot of technology that is making drug discovery and health care more discoverable and affordable is also covered by AI. So, we don’t want to restrict that, and we want to be careful that we don’t overregulate that,” Licato said.
Licato said companies can add additional guardrails, but all must meet the same baseline standards.
“We always have to be aware of the ethical constraints that we’re bounded by, and those are arguably clearer than the legal constraints,” Licato said.
Gov. DeSantis’ plan also targets hyperscale AI data centers. The proposal makes sure Floridians aren’t paying for them and safeguards local control and Florida’s natural resources.