Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is charting his own course on artificial intelligence—publicly brushing off a White House directive from President Donald Trump that aims to curb state-level AI regulation.
Speaking Monday at Florida Atlantic University, DeSantis made it clear that Trump’s recent executive order warning states to stand down on AI oversight would not slow Florida’s momentum. While Washington signals it wants a single federal framework, Tallahassee is pressing forward with its own guardrails—particularly when it comes to children, consumers, and corporate accountability.
“Even reading it broadly, what we’re doing lines up just fine,” DeSantis said. “But beyond that, Florida has every right to act.”
The comments underscore a growing rift inside the Republican Party over who controls the future of artificial intelligence: federal regulators seeking uniformity, or states determined to police a fast-moving technology they argue is already reshaping daily life.
Florida lawmakers have already begun moving legislation that would require insurance companies to submit AI-generated claim denials to human review—a direct response to concerns that automated systems are quietly making high-stakes decisions without transparency or accountability.
DeSantis has emerged as one of the loudest Republican voices rejecting a hands-off approach to AI. He has sharply criticized proposals in Congress that would freeze state regulation for a decade, arguing that such delays amount to surrendering public oversight to Big Tech.
Trump’s executive order, signed last week, takes the opposite view. It warns that state-driven AI laws threaten innovation, economic competitiveness, and national security by creating what the administration calls a “regulatory patchwork.”
“To win,” the order states, “United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation.” It argues that state laws risk imposing ideological mandates on AI systems and regulating beyond their borders in ways that interfere with interstate commerce.
The order also signals potential federal enforcement, raising the prospect that the Justice Department—led by Attorney General Pam Bondi—could challenge state laws that conflict with national policy.
DeSantis acknowledged that possibility but appeared unconcerned.
“I don’t know how successful that would be,” he said. “And frankly, I don’t expect it. But if it happens, Florida would be in a strong position to prevail.”
Last week, DeSantis rolled out a slate of policy recommendations aimed squarely at tightening oversight. They include requiring companies to disclose when consumers are interacting with AI, banning AI from providing mental health or therapy services, and expanding parental controls over children’s exposure to AI tools.
He also floated limits on taxpayer subsidies for data centers and proposed restrictions on their access to local water supplies—an issue growing increasingly contentious as energy-hungry AI infrastructure expands across the state.
The proposals are expected to land before lawmakers when Florida’s 2026 legislative session opens on January 13.
For now, DeSantis is betting that states—not Washington—should be first responders to the AI revolution, even if that puts Florida on a collision course with a president from his own party.
