Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis has called for laws to curb the “very harmful” effects of AI, as he criticised attempts backed by Donald Trump to “kneecap the states and let Big Tech write the rules”.
“We have a responsibility to create a framework so that this technology [is] channelled in a way that benefits the people of the state, benefits our kids, our parents, [and does] not supplant our experience as human beings,” DeSantis, who is seen as a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, said at a policy event on Wednesday.
DeSantis’ comments come just weeks after Trump signed an executive order that threatens to withhold federal funding from states that pass “onerous” AI regulations — a move that was cheered by the industry.