From Chatbots to Deepfakes: Florida...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are turning their full attention to artificial intelligence next week, launching an unprecedented “AI Week” at the Capitol as both parties brace for the technology’s sweeping impact on education, insurance, energy and public safety.

House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami) has directed committees to spend the final interim week studying how AI should be regulated across state government, saying lawmakers must understand both the benefits and risks before the 2025 session begins.

“We all recognize that AI may open new economic vistas,” Perez wrote in a memo to the chamber. “At the same time, we see stories about how AI can be abused, have adverse effects on education, or harm emotionally vulnerable users.”

The push comes as Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) rolls out his own sweeping proposal: an “AI Bill of Rights” meant to tighten data privacy, crack down on deepfakes, shield minors from harmful chatbots and prevent hyperscale data centers from driving up power bills.

“Is there anyone in this room that's going to volunteer to pay more and their utility bills to put a hyper scale data center in the middle of The Villages,” DeSantis asked during a recent press conference. “I haven't seen any hands anybody. No. Okay, no takers.”

Other state leaders are signaling industry-specific guardrails. Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia (R-Fla.) says insurers should not be allowed to deny claims solely based on AI-generated decisions.

“Under no circumstances do we think that any serious claim should be denied by AI without a human looking,” said the CFO. “I do not want a robot or a computer learning machine telling people what they can or cannot get back out of their insurance company. I won't stand for it.”

AI is also becoming a talking point in the race for governor. Republican candidate and former House Speaker Paul Renner says the state must consider stronger online protections for minors.

“I think we need to look at something that's reasonable, and what AI can and can't do with these algorithms,” said Renner. “They're mining, and they know more about your child than you do.”

But some lawmakers argue Florida shouldn’t go it alone. House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) says only a nationwide standard will prevent a confusing patchwork of competing rules that could slow innovation.

“I think we need to consider implications to the workforce, implications in the education system, and it makes sense to consider all of that from a national perspective,” she said this week. “I want to make sure that our kids are as protected as possible when it comes to the usage of AI online, and I think a lot of that could be sorted out at the national level.”

Her position puts Democrats in rare alignment with President Donald Trump, who is pressing Congress for a federal AI policy that would bar states from regulating the technology independently. He has similarly warned that different rules in different states could harm development.

At the moment, only nine AI-related bills have been filed for the 2026 session—including proposals on age limits, school use, insurance decisions, and studies on how state agencies deploy the technology. Lawmakers expect a surge in legislation once the gavel drops next month.

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