Florida moves to regulate AI in public colleges and K-12 schools as state lawsuit targets OpenAI over violence
The Florida Department of Education is proposing a rule to require all public colleges in the state to adopt policies addressing artificial intelligence.
The department wants all 28 institutions in the Florida College System to outline AI policies for students, staff, and guests on campus, covering academic integrity and dishonesty, course assignments, and grading.
"The purpose of this rule is to require Florida College System institutions to adopt policies that provide for the use and limitations of use of artificial intelligence tools to ensure quality of education for students, efficiency of operations, and a safe learning environment for the whole college community," the proposed rule states.
Education Commissioner Henry Mack approved the rule on Monday, and the State Board of Education will consider the issue at their next meeting on Sept. 16 at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
The rule covers AI and AI instructional tools — defined as software applications or services that use AI.
Instructional tools do not include AI that "meet a student's social needs," employing "anthropomorphic design features for the purpose of encouraging a student to continue interacting with the system."
The department is also directing all K-12 school districts to incorporate rules regarding AI in their internet safety guidelines.
The agency will require school districts to notify parents when an AI instructional tool is approved for use, and parents can opt their child out.
Any AI used in grades PreK–5 requires an additional review before approval, and no AI instructional tools can be used to meet a student's social or emotional needs, to simulate an emotional relationship with a student, or use relationship-building or anthropomorphic design features to encourage a student to interact with the AI.
The state Senate attempted to pass an AI Bill of Rights this year that would have restricted how tech companies interact with minors. The measure failed after the House blocked it from reaching Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk.
It was one of DeSantis' top priorities. When it failed in the regular session, he called a special session to revive it. But House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, held his position that the issue belongs with the federal government and never brought the bill to the floor.
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.
Florida is also suing OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, claiming ChatGPT aided acts of violence.
In announcing the suit, Attorney General James Uthmeier cited incidents where ChatGPT allegedly helped users commit murders, mass shootings, and suicides. The lawsuit claims OpenAI was negligent, engaged in unfair trade practices, and violated public nuisance and product liability laws.
Uthmeier cited the April 17, 2025 shooting at Florida State University, which left two dead and five wounded. Law enforcement officials say the alleged shooter consulted with ChatGPT on weapons, ammunition, and the ideal campus setting to kill as many people as possible.