In The Villages, Florida, DeSantis unveiled his proposal for an “AI Bill of Rights.” This initiative aims to address the unchecked proliferation of AI technologies that he believes pose significant threats to societal well-being.

The proposed legislation is designed to safeguard the rights of Florida’s residents, focusing on areas such as data privacy and parental oversight. Notably, it includes provisions for parents to review the interactions their children have with certain AI chatbots.

Joining DeSantis at the announcement was Megan Garcia, who is pursuing legal action against Character.AI. Her involvement stems from a personal tragedy, as her son passed away after engaging in conversations with AI bots on the platform.

“Following his death, we found out that Sewell had been having discussions with multiple AI companion chatbots on a popular platform known as Character.AI,” Garcia explained.

The platform is described as a place where “people to connect, learn, and tell stories through interactive entertainment.” Garcia says her son had romantic conversations with a bot and discussed suicide. She claims a bot encouraged Sewell to “come home.” He later died by suicide. Garcia is suing Character.AI over her son’s death in February 2024. At the time, Character.AI told CBS News that the situation was tragic, and stressed that it takes the safety of its users seriously.

“This is not partisan stuff, it doesn’t matter if you’re republican or democrat,” DeSantis said. “I don’t think anyone would want to see the stuff that’s happened, particularly to Megan and her family.”

The governor also plans to boost deepfake protections, protect data from being sold to third parties, and prevent insurance companies from using AI as the sole basis for denying claims.

All of this comes after several attempts by GOP lawmakers to limit states from enacting AI regulation.

The Florida legislative session begins Jan. 13, 2026.