AI bill of rights progresses in Tallahassee.
Bill in Tallahassee to protect consumers from evil AI is progressed through the state legislature. A committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposed “AI Bill of Rights.” It would ban companion chatbots from speaking to minors without parental consent, and would also require bots to remind users that they are not human. State Senator Tom Leek is the bill sponsor.
“There are chatbots that provide therapy. The folks this bill is trying to protect are too vulnerable to the suggestions of a computer that is pretending to be a human. You just can’t wait to protect those folks.”
The bill needs to clear one more Senate committee before it could go to the full Senate.
Another AI-related bill that would ban residents from paying the energy and water consumed by AI data centers. Bill sponsor Bryan Avila thinks data centers will be one of the most important issues that lawmakers address this year.
“This is a balance between making sure that we are still leading the way on tech, but also laying a foundation and protecting our consumers, and particularly making sure that our local governments in rural areas, have a voice and a seat at the table.”
The bill, in part, would require the Florida Public Service Commission to develop what are known as “tariffs” and service requirements to ensure that each large load customer bears its own full cost of service and that costs are not shifted to other customers. That would include costs related to issues such as connecting to electric systems and increased power transmission and generation costs.
Another piece of proposed legislation would require public school students to learn about human fetal development, prohibit schools from spending money on DEI programs, and allow ICE and other law enforcement on school campuses.
Meanwhile, members of the LGBTQ community and their advocates spoke out in the state Capitol Wednesday against the slate of proposed legislation targeting the queer community.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams retires.
After 27 years of service, NASA astronaut Suni Williams retired from the agency. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Suni was a trailblazer in human spaceflight. She logged 608 days in space — second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. Williams earned her Masters degrees in Engineering Management from Florida Tech.
Brevard chef is a semifinalist for James Beard award.
A Brevard County chef has been named a James Beard Awards semifinalist for Best Chef in the South. Chef Toni Elkhouri, owner of Cedar’s Cafe in Melbourne, grew up in the kitchen and continues the family legacy in Northern Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine. The James Beard Awards are considered one of the most prestigious honors in the American culinary industry.
Cocoa police searching for hit & run driver.
The police in Cocoa are searching for the driver of Honda SUV that ran a stop sign and hit two teenagers on e-bikes. The hit & run incident occurred Tuesday around 4:30PM near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and University Lane. The teenagers suffered minor injuries. If you have information to share, email dropadime@cocoapolice.com.
