President Donald Trump makes an AI cost announcement, and the Florida Board of Education plans to meet to discuss AI policy in the classroom.
Trump makes announcement on AI data centers
AI data centers are becoming a defining issue in the race for Florida governor. But on the national stage, President Donald Trump announced a plan to keep the AI boom from raising electric bills.
Trump today announced the expansion of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, saying major tech firms will pay for the power needed to support data centers.
The White House says that over 220 utilities and tech companies have signed a voluntary pledge to pay for the new power grid, and not pass the cost on to rate-payers.
Trump also announced that 23 governors have signed the pledge to protect ratepayers. No Democrats signed it, and Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of 3 Republican governors who did not sign it.
DeSantis has said he believes in AI regulation at the state level, and he signed a new state law this year that prohibits utilities from passing data center costs, including electricity, onto residential and small business customers.
It preserves local authority over zoning, permitting, and land use. And it allows communities to set stricter standards for data centers or to deny them altogether.
Florida Board of Education to meet to consider AI in the classroom
The Florida Board of Education is scheduled to hold a virtual rule-making workshop Aug. 5 on rules that could require all school districts in the state to adopt regulations regarding artificial intelligence, according to state documents.
The documents cite Florida statutes requiring student education records to be protected in accordance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which was passed in the 1970s.
The documents also cite state law that protects student information, including names, addresses, test results, grades, health records and food purchases, from being shared by the operator of any internet website.
The workshop follows Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call earlier this year for state lawmakers to pass an “AI Bill of Rights.” The proposal included a provision giving parents the right to control their children’s interactions with chatbots, among other things.
The legislation passed the Senate but failed to gain traction in the House.
