A.G. Gancarski
If artificial intelligence is the wave of the future, the Sunshine State needs to make up some ground.
This is the conclusion of a report from Brainly that incorporates data from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics and draws a sobering conclusion about Florida, ranking it 35th of all states in being prepared to lead on AI.
With 11.3% of businesses using AI (sixth overall in the United States), Florida is finding ways to monetize the technology.
But even with 11 AI jobs per 1,000 workers (21st overall), infrastructure and education aren’t keeping up.
For example, only 2.3% of high school students take computer science. Only 10 states are worse by that metric.
The state is 35th when it comes to AI-related degrees for people aged 20 to 24.
Meanwhile, just 56.8% of homes have “fast internet,” good for 30th overall.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has given mixed signals when it comes to preparing for the inevitability of AI.
While he has embraced artificial intelligence for his Department of Government Efficiency audits of local budgets, DeSantis just vetoed legislation that would have required a report on how AI and automation are affecting the Florida workforce, on the grounds that “such a report, to the extent it has value, would likely be obsolete by the time it was published” later this year.
He also worries about the technology.
“It’s one thing to use technology to enhance the human experience, but it’s another thing to have technology supplant the human experience and we’re going to be working in Florida to develop a coherent approach to this. It’s rapidly changing,” DeSantis said Monday.
The Governor added that the state “can’t put our head in the sand and just say, ‘we’re not going to deal with AI at all,’ because it is becoming a fact of life. But we can’t just turn the reins over to a bunch of tech overlords. That doesn’t work. That ultimately isn’t going to be what’s best. So, you know, you have different things with respect to that, that we’re going to really have to start to do.”
4 comments
Frankie M.
July 8, 2025 at 3:10 pm
Robot Ron wants things to go back to the way they were in the good old days aka the Stone Age. Back when the men were men and the women were too. Plus he doesn’t want competition from other robots.
Homer Hatfield
July 9, 2025 at 7:48 am
47th in SAT scores and not ready for artificial intelligence — but Florida is worried that a trans kid might try out for track. Priorities.
Homer Hatfield
July 9, 2025 at 7:48 am
47th in SAT scores and not ready for artificial intelligence — but Florida is worried that a trans kid might try out for track. Priorities.
LexT
July 9, 2025 at 4:04 pm
I think a lot of these numbers are biased, trying to steer things to traditional areas like the West Coast. Florida is very cosmopolitan and probably a better example of the full spectrum of people than most places in the USA. I also think that Florida is well situated to help AI work better in Spanish cultures since we have Miami that serves as the financial and cultural clearing house for all of South America. Please don’t sell Florida short as an industry that will likely be massive moving forward.
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