Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is turning his focus to artificial intelligence, calling it “the biggest issue” facing society and the economy—and vowing to roll out a state-specific approach to AI in the coming months. While stopping short of committing to legislation, DeSantis emphasized caution, warning of potential dangers in ceding control to technology and predicting massive upheaval in the job market as AI advances.
‘We’ve got to be careful about how this all unwinds.’
Gov. Ron DeSantis will roll out an approach for Florida to artificial intelligence “within the next few months,” he said Monday.
The governor said he is not sure the matter will require legislation, “but we’ve got to be careful about how this all unwinds.”
DeSantis also likened the practice of technology companies hiring foreign workers legally to “indentured servitude” during a news conference Monday morning in Panama City Beach announcing the back-to-school sales tax holiday.
“I’m not one to say that we should just turn over our humanity to artificial intelligence. I think it’s very dangerous, potentially. Obviously, technology is what it is, it’s not like you just put your head in the sand and hope it all disappears,” DeSantis said, predicting “major, major upheavals in jobs” as AI advances.
“I think this is, like, the biggest issue that’s facing our society. I think it’s the biggest issue that’s facing the economy,” DeSantis continued, predicting that advancements in technology will decrease the number of white-collar jobs “like processing claims or doing things in like a law firm.”
Last week, President Donald Trump released an AI action plan designed to take a hands-off approach to safeguards. Trump’s plan calls for AI models to focus on “truth, rather than social engineering agendas.”
Trump has called for a “single federal standard” when it comes to regulating AI, States Newsroom reported.
DeSantis, though, seemed skeptical of freezing the states out of involvement.
“I don’t want our experience, our ability to live and pursue happiness, which is what the Founding Fathers intended, to be subordinated to the whims of these big tech guys who have maybe their different agenda,” he said.
“If you wanted to manipulate and create false narratives, and you’re in control of one of these AI, you just put garbage in the data set — garbage in, garbage out,” DeSantis added.
DeSantis pointed to Florida’s passage of Brooke’s Law this year, requiring social media platforms to delete AI-generated sexual depictions created without consent of the person depicted.
DeSantis criticized the U.S. House for approving a version of the “Big Beautiful Bill” containing a provision preventing state-level artificial intelligence legislation. That language was removed before the bill became law.
Social media have proven a “net negative” for children, the governor said.
“How do we navigate this? How do we make sure that we’re protecting folks here so that they can live good, meaningful lives?” DeSantis said.
“Are students just going to have artificial intelligence write their term papers? You know, it’s like, do we even need to think? And at that point, when you’re taking that away, then it’s like, ‘Okay, you know, we’re not going to think, we’re going to rely on this,’” he said.
Heavy reliance on AI paired with manipulated data fueling AI answers “can really change society in a lot of ways,” DeSantis said.
Immigration
On the topic of technology, DeSantis criticized tech companies that hire employees using H-1B visas.
“I think that’s a total scam,” DeSantis said of the program, which allows companies to hire foreign workers for specialty jobs. “I don’t think that that’s good. Yes, it is legal the way they’re doing it. I acknowledge that they’re using something that’s on the books. But is that good policy for us as a country, to have Americans put out of work and then to bring in H-1B visa?”
H-1B visas are “almost like indentured servitude, because you can’t leave the company. And so these companies love it, because they save a lot of money off of it, but that’s not putting the American people first,” DeSantis said.
The federal government allows that H-1B workers may work for a new employer after submitting a new application.
Back to school holiday
The primary purpose of the press conference was to announce the approaching August-long sales tax holiday on school supplies. Although its been occurring for years, the holiday was permanently enshrined into law this year.
The holiday exempts certain products from sales tax, such as computers, tablets, computer accessories, backpacks, notebooks, clothing, and other school supplies.
The holiday has limits, providing the tax exemption to technology products like laptops and desktops priced at $1,500 or less, wallets and bags at $100 or less, school supplies such as binders and notebooks at $50 or less, and clothing, footwear, and accessories at $100 or less.
DeSantis said the law is written in a way that encourages retailers to drop prices, because if items are priced above the threshold, retailers must collect tax on the full amount, as opposed to just the amount that exceeds the threshold.
The governor’s family, he said, will take advantage of the holiday.
DeSantis’ focus on AI as society’s “biggest issue” signals a deliberate shift—one that balances wariness of unregulated technological upheaval with a refusal to ignore its impact. His upcoming approach, set to emerge in months, will likely grapple with the questions he’s raised: protecting jobs from disruption, guarding against manipulated AI narratives, preserving critical thinking in education, and keeping state control over these decisions. Whether through legislation or policy, his aim is clear: to navigate AI’s rise without ceding control to big tech or federal overreach. As Florida prepares to outline its strategy, it’s a reminder that for DeSantis, the goal isn’t to stop AI—but to shape it in a way that prioritizes “good, meaningful lives” for residents.
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