How Trump Drove a Wedge Between Florida Republicans Over A.I.

Florida lawmakers failed to pass a sweeping bill aimed at reining in the power of artificial intelligence by the time their annual legislative session wrapped up. The legislation, known as an A.I. Bill of Rights, flopped even though Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, had spent months championing it. The bill would have forced companies to disclose when they used A.I. chatbots to interact with consumers and forbidden the technology’s use in licensed mental health counseling, among other measures. But Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives refused to take up the bill because of President Trump. President Trump has visibly positioned himself as pro-A.I., signing executive orders to protect the tech industry and threatening states that try to regulate the technology. In recent weeks, the White House has communicated to legislators around the country that it is wary of state regulation of A.I., while President Trump has reiterated his support for the technology in public.