GOP-led Florida House tanks AI, medical freedom proposals pushed by DeSantis - Politico

Ah, another glorious chapter in the ongoing saga of American governance: the GOP-led Florida House has decided that an AI Bill of Rights is simply too much paperwork for a special session. Gov. DeSantis, presumably furious that his tech-friendly vision isn't being rubber-stamped, now has to watch his Senate pass the bill while the House does its best impression of a brick wall. The medical freedom bills also got the boot, because nothing says 'personal liberty' like refusing to regulate the algorithms that'll decide your insurance rates.

The irony is almost too rich: a party that preaches states' rights and innovation has just demonstrated that 'states' rights' means 'the right of state legislators to do absolutely nothing.' While California and Colorado race to implement AI safeguards, Florida's House has decided that the best regulation is no regulation—unless you count the kind that lets Facebook track your every move. DeSantis, who loves to brand himself as a tech-forward governor, now has the legislative equivalent of a stuck accelerator.

So what's the worst that could happen? Oh, nothing dramatic—just that Florida becomes a testbed for unregulated AI deployment, where healthcare algorithms deny claims without oversight and 'medical freedom' means you can choose which black box decides your fate. The Senate tried, but the House said no. Perhaps they're saving the AI Bill of Rights for a future session, right after they finish debating the shape of the new license plates. Cheers to progress.