DeSantis warns of big-tech control over AI, urges an "artificial intelligence bill of rights"

Governor Ron DeSantis urged policymakers and civic leaders in Hershey, Pennsylvania, to consider legal protections for individuals as artificial-intelligence tools become more pervasive and concentrated in the hands of a few large technology firms.

DeSantis said he welcomed technologies that “enhance the human experience” but opposed those he described as aiming to “supplant the human experience.” He warned that a handful of large companies could become the principal curators of information affecting education, business and culture and said that concentration of power risks abuse. “None of those chatbots are worth anything beyond whether the data that's being fed into them is accurate or not. Garbage in, garbage out,” he said.

The governor proposed what he described as an “artificial intelligence bill of rights” to protect individuals from harms such as deepfakes and misuse of name, image and likeness. “They're gonna be able to do a video where they can take your name or take your image and put words in your mouth that people very well may believe,” he said, adding that such uses could harm people and should not be treated solely as First Amendment matters.

DeSantis also raised economic concerns, saying some companies claim AI could cost millions of people their jobs. He framed the debate in constitutional terms, arguing that the Founders designed checks and balances to prevent consolidation of power and that similar guardrails are needed for digital-era platforms.

His remarks were delivered as part of a broader talk about state policy and political strategy. DeSantis asked policymakers to proceed “with our eyes wide open” as AI becomes more pervasive and suggested state-level protections for civil liberties tied to AI use.

A question-and-answer session followed the remarks.