Rick Scott introducing legislation to require parental consent for kids’ AI use

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced legislation Tuesday that will require children to get parental consent to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology. 

The AI Shield for Kids (ASK) Act will prevent children from accessing AI features on social media sites without the consent of a parent or guardian. 

Scott’s bill will also require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue rules barring social media platforms from charging a fee or mandating a paid subscription before allowing either parents or children to remove AI features from products minors use.

“I have long been a supporter of doing more to keep our kids safe online, and as technology evolves, there is no doubt that we must do more to combat the emerging threats our children are facing every day on the internet,” Scott said in a statement, noting that he’s “terrified” about the “lack of control available to parents when it comes to social media and AI.” 

“Every child is worth protecting, and we should never make the job harder for parents. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to keep our kids safe,” Scott added. 

The proposed legislation comes as Scott and other lawmakers are scheduled to speak on the issue in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the head of the artificial intelligence company that makes the popular ChatGPT tool, will testify before Congress at the meeting. 

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a free tool that launched in November that automatically generates human-like responses to users’ queries in a way that is more advanced than previous technology.

The innovative technology has raised concerns from many parents and educators recently, with some saying students may have used ChatGPT to cheat on assignments, which resulted in several school districts banning the device tool. 

In response to the popularity of the device, Microsoft and Google have both introduced AI platforms and services.