Gov. Ron DeSantis is sounding the alarm about a federal government proposal on artificial intelligence that could pose a threat to free speech.
Punchbowl News reported that House GOP leaders are looking for a way to ban state regulation of AI, and DeSantis responded with a states’ rights argument. “Not acceptable,” he stated, insisting such a move would enable “online censorship of political speech” without any redress. This would be an “overreach” from the federal government, he argued.
In his Tuesday X post, DeSantis explained his opposition to the reported legislative push. “Stripping states of jurisdiction to regulate AI is a subsidy to Big Tech and will prevent states from protecting against online censorship of political speech, predatory applications that target children, violations of intellectual property rights and data center intrusions on power/water resources,” he began.
He added, “The rise of AI is the most significant economic and cultural shift occurring at the moment; denying the people the ability to channel these technologies in a productive way via self-government constitutes federal government overreach and lets technology companies run wild.”
MRC Vice President for Free Speech Dan Schneider noted that there are valid arguments on both sides of the debate. “I completely understand why rational Republicans in Congress are trying to give Trump breathing room. After four years of a tragically flawed AI policy crafted by Biden's radicals, Trump has put our country on the right path,” Schneider said.
“But the concerns of good governors like Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott are just as valid. They undoubtedly fear what would happen if crazies return to power and wokify AI all over again. Ultimately, our courts must restore common carriage laws and prevent these massive common carriers from discriminating against Americans for our political beliefs,” Schneider added.
The House actually already passed a 10 year moratorium on a state regulation of AI, claiming this would allow for more innovation, though it could actually prevent enforcement of state laws preventing censorship.
For example, Florida state law protects free speech and restricts social media censorship. The state fought a legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court to preserve this law before it was sent back to a lower court in 2024. The law allows Floridians to sue Big Tech platforms for certain types of censorship, imposes fines on companies that deplatform political candidates and it allows state officials to bring suits over unconstitutional censorship actions.
In the case of AI specifically, DeSantis has indicated his intention to ensure regulations are put into place, according to an October report from WLOV 99.5.
In a separate post on the same day, he slammed federal AI protection. DeSantis argued that protecting children from explicit content is one important initiative that could be sabotaged by states’ inability to regulate AI. “AI will be harmful to children just like social media has been. Tech companies want to make their technologies as addictive as possible,” he posited.
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