Florida is about to impose a written policy on AI use on its universities

Out of forty public institutions in the state, only eight have issued a form of guidance on AI, and two have a formal policy.

The Florida Board of Governors' Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Task Force is pushing forward regulations that would require university boards to adopt an AI policy. Three points should be included: reporting requirements for teachers, reporting requirements for students, and the definition of permitted uses in graded assignments. The state's Department of Education is also reviewing its own rule, which would extend the requirement to all public institutions.

The observation behind the text is unambiguous: of the forty public institutions in Florida — twelve universities and twenty-eight colleges — only eight have produced some form of instruction on AI, and two have a formal policy. "It looks like the Wild West," says legal expert Jane Bambauer.

The debates are less about whether to regulate and more about the method: should we have a prescriptive framework or let each institution decide, and how can we ensure that students are still learning? "AI is spreading everywhere," says Hans van Oostrom, director of the AI2 centre – the question becomes which skills remain relevant.