Miami
DeSantis criticizes AI firms over push for greater federal involvement
Florida’s governor said companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI are seeking a regulatory framework that could benefit them and eventually open the door to federal support if their business model falters. He also rejected the idea of Washington becoming a partner to the industry.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said artificial intelligence companies including Anthropic and OpenAI are trying to turn public anxiety about the technology into stronger federal involvement that could bring subsidies and protection from market failure, according to Florida Politics.
DeSantis argued those companies are spending heavily without clear signs of profitability and are calling for Washington to step in through an approach that, in his view, could amount to regulatory capture. He said that kind of federal role would give large AI firms a favored position and make it harder for newer competitors to challenge them.
Florida Politics reported that DeSantis also warned the groundwork is being laid for a future claim that, if these companies begin losing money at scale, they should be treated as too big to fail and receive a federal bailout. He described that prospect as catastrophic and said AI companies should not be rescued by the U.S. government.
At the same time, the debate in Washington remains active even if federal legislation this year appears unlikely. Florida Politics noted that Sen. Bernie Sanders wants the government to hold a stake in major AI companies, while other proposals would add new rules for model development.
Among them, the AI Kill Switch Act from Reps. Ted Lieu and Nathaniel Moran would create a human safeguard against AI systems learning to act on their own. The FRONTIER Act, backed by Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan, would regulate how new models are developed and released.
The outlet also reported that Anthropic CEO and cofounder Dario Amodei said a kill switch could be a good idea given what he described as real dangers tied to the technology and its rapid progress. Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, said strong safeguards are not a tradeoff against innovation but part of the infrastructure needed for broad adoption and lasting U.S. leadership.
Florida Politics added that President Donald Trump took a different view, saying AI only needs a strong and smart president as its guardrail. He also alleged there is a conspiracy against AI and data centers that, in his view, would only help China.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
