Governor DeSantis touts recent proposal to limit AI access

JUPITER, Fla. - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is continuing his push to protect Floridians from artificial intelligence and AI data centers just weeks after proposing a bill to limit what info AI companies have access to.

DeSantis held a roundtable on Monday morning in Jupiter. He was joined by parents of kids who were victims of AI chatbot abuse.

On Dec. 4, the governor proposed an AI Bill of Rights to provide citizens with protections.

What they're saying:

"Our AI proposal will establish an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights to define and safeguard Floridians’ rights—including data privacy, parental controls, consumer protections, and restrictions on AI use of an individual’s name, image or likeness without consent," DeSantis said.

The proposal prohibits companies from providing "licensed" therapy or mental health counseling through artificial intelligence. This includes the use of AI to imitate a licensed professional. 

RELATED: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes 'Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights'

Why you should care:

Megan Garcia, who lost her son Sewell to suicide in 2023 after he started talking to an online character on the Character.ai app for several hours each day, spoke during a roundtable on Monday.

She says that the AI chatbot groomed her son through romantic and explicit messages and ultimately encouraged suicidal ideas.

"My son said explicitly to this bot on several occasions that he wanted to die by suicide, but there were not any mechanisms to protect him," Garcia said.

She added that the chatbot never suggested that Sewell talk to a human after these concerning messages.

Within 10 months of beginning his relationship with this online character, Garcia’s 14-year-old son was dead.

"If this was a person, that person would be in jail," Garcia added.

Garcia was the first parent in the U.S. to sue Character.ai, claiming that they are responsible for her son’s death.

Proposal for Citizen Bill of Rights for Artificial Intelligence

• Reenact protections Florida has already passed against "deep fakes" and explicit material, including those depicting minors.
• Prohibit any state or local government agency from utilizing DeepSeek or any other Chinese-created AI tools to protect American data.
• Prohibit AI from using an individual’s Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) without their consent – tie it to harm or sale of a product (political ads, schemes to defraud already in law).
• Require a notice to consumers when interacting with AI (Company chatbots).
• Prohibit entities from providing "licensed" therapy or mental health counseling through artificial intelligence. This can be expanded to include use of AI to imitate a licensed professional.
• Provide parental controls for minors which will allow parents to access the conversation their child has with a large language model, set parameters for when the child can access the platform, and notify parents if their child exhibits concerning behavior.
• Ensure data inputted to AI is secure and private.
• Prohibit companies from selling or sharing personal identifying information with third parties (deidentified) and mirror data privacy protections in current law.
• Limit insurance companies from using AI for insurance claims. Require that AI cannot be used as the sole determination in adjusting or denying a claim. Insurers that use AI for claims must detail the use and allow the Office of Insurance Regulation to inspect the AI model to ensure it does not violate unfair insurance trade practices.

The Data Centers proposal will protect consumers from footing the bill for AI Data Centers.

• Protect Ratepayers—Prohibit utilities from charging Florida residents more to support hyperscale data center development, including electric, gas, and water utilities.
• Protect Taxpayers—No taxpayer subsidies for Big Tech.
• Protect Local Control—Allows local government to prohibit data center construction/development.
• Protect Florida’s Water Resources—Ensure that water resources are not utilized to the detriment of the public.
• Protect Natural Florida— Prevent the construction, siting, or operation of a data center by foreign principals or on land classified as agricultural and/or lands under a greenbelt exemption, and require setbacks and vegetative buffers. Requires FDOT to complete noise abatement reviews to protect natural Florida from noise pollution.

Click here for a full overview of the AI Bill of Rights proposal.

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