AI ‘Bill of Rights’ Emerges in Senate

In a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Senate Republican on Monday filed a proposal dubbed the “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights,” adding Florida to the growing debate over how to regulate rapidly advancing AI technology.

The proposal (SB 482), filed by Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, includes provisions aimed at protecting minors from “harmful” AI content and outlines a series of rights for Floridians interacting with artificial intelligence. The filing comes after DeSantis called for an AI bill of rights and as President Donald Trump moves to limit state-by-state regulation of the technology.

Leek’s bill, filed for the legislative session beginning Jan. 13, addresses a wide range of issues. Among them are establishing a right for parents to control their children’s interactions with AI; requiring disclosure when people are communicating with an AI system rather than a human; and setting restrictions on the unauthorized use of a person’s name, image or likeness.

The proposal also would require political advertisements to disclose whether they were created in whole or in part using artificial intelligence. In addition, it would prohibit Florida government agencies from contracting with AI companies tied to a “foreign country of concern,” such as China or Russia.

Trump has drawn attention for seeking to curb state regulation of AI, but DeSantis said earlier this month that Florida’s approach would stand on firm legal ground. During a Dec. 15 appearance in Jupiter, DeSantis said he believed the state’s proposals are consistent with Trump’s executive order.

“Even reading it very broadly, I think the stuff we’re doing is going to be very consistent,” DeSantis said. “But irrespective, clearly, we have a right to do this.”

Rather than directly preempting state laws, Trump’s Dec. 11 directive created an “AI Litigation Council” within the U.S. Department of Justice to review state laws deemed “onerous” or out of alignment with White House policy. States could face lawsuits or risk losing eligibility for certain federal broadband funds.

DeSantis has also called for legislation addressing the impact of massive data centers required to support AI and other technologies. His proposals include preventing Floridians from bearing utility costs tied to the centers and allowing local governments to reject such developments, which often demand large amounts of electricity and water. Senate President Ben Albritton’s office confirmed Monday that a separate data-center bill is in development.

Leek’s filing follows a bill introduced this month by Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, that would require users to be notified when they are interacting with AI “companion chatbots,” including warnings that such systems “may not be suitable for some minors.”

“Increasingly, we are seeing heartbreaking cases where young people form deep emotional bonds with AI companions that end up pushing them further toward self-harm,” Hunschofsky said in a prepared statement.

The latest proposals come as Florida continues to defend previous efforts to regulate online platforms. Two high-profile laws passed in recent years are the subject of ongoing legal battles with tech-industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association.

Those groups are challenging a 2021 law that limits platforms’ ability to ban political candidates and requires companies to publish and consistently apply content standards. They are also fighting a 2024 law aimed at restricting children’s access to certain social-media platforms, arguing it violates the First Amendment. That law bars children under 14 from opening accounts on certain platforms and requires parental consent for users ages 14 and 15.