Tech Group Opposes AI Proposal

• By Jim Saunders, News Service Florida
• January 12, 2026

TALLAHASSEE --- A tech industry group that has battled Florida social-media laws in court is opposing new legislation dubbed the “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.”

The Computer & Communications Industry Association on Friday sent a three-page letter to the Florida Senate saying the legislation “would impose an expansive and fragmented regulatory regime that risks chilling innovation, undermining free expression and placing Florida significantly out of step with recommended federal and international approaches to artificial intelligence governance.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of what he has called an AI bill of rights, and Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, filed such a bill (SB 482) last month. Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, filed an identical House proposal (HB 1395) on Friday.

The legislation addresses a variety of issues, such as establishing a “right” for parents to control children’s interactions with artificial intelligence; saying people have a right to know when they’re communicating with a human or an AI system or chatbot; and setting rules about the unauthorized AI-generated use of people’s names, images or likenesses.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association letter, in part, said the legislation would create an “overly broad and vague regulatory scope.”

“SB 482 relies on broad and imprecise definitions of ‘artificial intelligence,’ ‘artificial intelligence technology company,’ ‘bot,’ and ‘companion chatbot’ that would encompass a vast range of common digital tools, including customer service chat functions, workplace productivity software, educational platforms, accessibility technologies, and automated moderation or safety tools,” the letter, signed by Tom Mann, a state policy manager for the association, said. “These technologies differ significantly in function, risk profile and user interaction, yet the bill treats them as functionally equivalent.”

As another example, the letter took issue with part of the legislation that would place restrictions on what are known as “companion chatbots,” which provide human-like responses and are able to maintain relationships over multiple interactions.

The letter said parts of the legislation about companion chatbots, “particularly as applied to minors, raise substantial concerns regarding privacy, speech and proportionality.”

“In practice, SB 482 would push providers toward blunt, exclusionary design choices rather than encouraging thoughtful, risk-based protections tailored to specific harms,” the association said.

President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order seeking to prevent state-by-state regulation of AI. But DeSantis has expressed confidence that Florida could move forward with restrictions that would withstand a federal legal challenge.

During an appearance Monday at Broward College in Davie, DeSantis said the state has a responsibility to make sure that AI technology is ethical and “reinforces our values as both Floridians and Americans.”

“We want to make sure that Floridians are not going to end up roadkill with this AI revolution that's going on,” DeSantis said.

With the annual legislative session scheduled to start Tuesday, it is unclear when Senate and House committees might take up the bills.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association and another industry group, NetChoice, have been locked in federal-court fights against two state laws that placed restrictions on social-media platforms.

They are challenging a 2021 law that includes preventing platforms from banning political candidates from their sites and requiring companies to publish --- and apply consistently --- standards about issues such as banning users or blocking their content. DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature passed the law after Facebook and Twitter, now known as X, blocked Trump from their platforms after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association also are challenging a 2024 law designed to prevent children from having access to certain social-media sites. They argue the law violates the First Amendment.

The law prevents children under age 14 from opening accounts on certain platforms --- which court documents indicate could include platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Parents would have to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts on the platforms.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association’s website lists a variety of members, such as Amazon, Google and Meta.

— News Service staff writer Jim Turner contributed to this report.

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