Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pressing lawmakers to curb the fast growth of artificial intelligence and the sprawling data centers that power it, staking out a consumer-focused posture that contrasts with President Donald Trump and other Republicans' positioning for 2028.
DeSantis has argued that Florida should not allow utilities and developers to shift the costs of new grid infrastructure onto residents as demand rises from so-called hyperscale facilities tied to AI and cloud computing.
"We don't want to see them building a massive data center and then sending you the bill. Data centers take up the power equivalent of a half a million-person city. We feel very, very strongly about protecting the consumer," DeSantis said this month when asked about AI companies.
"It's kind of a no-brainer, right? You've got JD Vance and Marco Rubio, the top two contenders for 2028 big time in the pro-AI lane," a longtime DeSantis adviser told NBC News under the condition of anonymity. "The infrastructure is lining up behind JD and to some extent Marco. So, DeSantis' challenge is to stay relevant."
DeSantis' political aide Taryn Fenske added: "The governor is an AI skeptic because chatbots are convincing children to commit suicide."
DeSantis underscored his broader skepticism at an AI roundtable this month, warning about a future where technology supplants people rather than serving them.
"It's being proposed and purported to be not just something that could kind of take us to the next level," DeSantis said. "There are some people who are big advocates of that, who almost relish in the fact that they think this just displaces human beings and then ultimately you're going to have AI run society and that you're not going to be able to control it. Count me out on that."
Public concern has remained a factor for policymakers in both parties, with recent research showing many workers do not use AI on the job and many are uneasy about how the technology could reshape employment.
DeSantis' stance diverges from Trump administration messaging that has emphasized rapid growth and limited regulation, even as energy costs and grid constraints become a political flashpoint.
Vice President JD Vance warned at an international summit that "excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off," and he said the administration would push "pro-growth AI policies."
Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday to acknowledge worries that data center demand could raise electric bills, announcing a "ratepayer protection pledge" aimed at shifting more responsibility to the largest companies.
"We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs," Trump said. "They can build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no one's prices will go up and, in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community, and very substantially."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.