DeSantis wants AI regulation; insurance lobby says Florida has it under control

Florida already applies the law as equally to AI as it does to humans, witnesses say.

Although Gov. Ron DeSantis for months has hinted at legislation addressing the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, insurance lobbyists argued before a Florida House panel Tuesday that state law already regulates AI in the insurance sphere.

The four witnesses plus an AI subject-matter expert spoke to the Insurance and Banking Subcommittee during a panel discussion about AI use in the insurance industry. The meeting followed DeSantis’ months-long push to address the skyrocketing energy costs of artificial intelligence and the growing concern over AI taking human jobs.

The lobbyists insisted generative AI is helping to process claims and detect fraud, adding that AI, designed to help — not replace — the workforce, is just as subject to the Florida Insurance Code as humans are.

“Any decision made or any action taken by an insurance company, be it by a person, a human, an AI platform, all of that is governed by Florida law,” said Paul Martin, vice president for state affairs at the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. He added that the insurance company will always be at fault for errors committed by anyone — human or robot — on its behalf.

“The claims laws apply irrespective of the source of the wrong decision, the bad decision.
If it’s an AI platform that makes a mistake, if it’s a human that makes a mistake, that same law applies,” he added, before suggesting that the Office of Insurance Regulation, not the Legislature, should examine where AI should be regulated.

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