Florida may tell school districts to create rules regarding AI safety

The Florida Department of Education is poised to direct all school districts to incorporate rules regarding artificial intelligence in their internet safety guidelines.

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DOE will discuss the proposed rule change at a workshop on Aug. 5, according to state documents.

The department is citing Florida laws requiring adherence to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and protecting private student information.

Florida law prevents an “operator” of an internet website “used primarily for K-12 purposes” from knowingly collecting and sharing data on students. That data includes biometric information, disabilities, socioeconomic information, food purchases, political affiliations, religious information, text messages, documents, student identifiers, search activity, photos, voice recordings or geolocation information.

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The state Senate attempted to pass an AI Bill of Rights this year, but the measure failed after the House blocked multiple attempts to get it to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.

The proposal called in part for establishing parents’ rights to control children’s interactions with AI chatbots, prohibiting state agencies from contracting with AI firms tied to a “foreign country of concern,” and setting rules about the unauthorized use of people’s names, images or likenesses.

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