Florida's Latest News

Here’s how ChatGPT maker OpenAI plans to deter election misinformation in 2024

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has outlined a plan to prevent its tools from being used to spread election misinformation as voters in more than 50 countries prepare to cast their ballots in national elections this year.

The safeguards spelled out by the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup in a blog post this week include a mix of preexisting policies and newer initiatives to prevent the misuse of its wildly popular generative AI tools. They can create novel text and images in seconds but also be weaponized to concoct misleading messages or convincing fake photographs.

The steps will apply specifically to OpenAI, only one player in an expanding universe of companies developing advanced generative AI tools. The company, which announced the moves Monday, said it plans to “continue our platform safety work by elevating accurate voting information, enforcing measured policies, and improving transparency.”

It said it will ban people from using its technology to create chatbots that impersonate real candidates or governments, to misrepresent how voting works or to discourage people from voting. It said that until more research can be done on the persuasive power of its technology, it won’t allow its users to build applications for the purposes of political campaigning or lobbying.

Florida House is ready to pass social media restrictions for minors under 16

The Florida House is poised to pass a bill aimed at preventing children under age 16 from using social media, as parts of the tech industry argue the measure could be unconstitutional and create data-privacy concerns.

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted 17-5 to approve the bill (HB 1), which is a priority of Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. The bill is now positioned to go to the full House, where it is almost certain to pass.

Renner and other lawmakers argue social media harms children, and the bill would prevent minors under age 16 from creating accounts. In part, the bill also would require social-media platforms to terminate existing accounts that are “reasonably known” by the platforms to be held by minors younger than 16 and would allow parents to request that minors’ accounts be terminated.

Rep. Fiona McFarland, a Sarasota Republican who is co-sponsoring the bill, said harms to such things as children’s mental health “outweigh the good when it comes to the product of social media.” “This is a bold bill,” McFarland said. “Through this bill, we’re saying that the product of social media is harmful to young people under the age of 16.”

Pride and BLM flags would be among those restricted under proposed state bill

The Florida House this week began moving forward with a proposal that would restrict the types of flags that can be displayed at government buildings and schools, including preventing the display of LGBTQ pride flags.

Supporters said the bill is aimed at preventing “indoctrination” at places such as schools. “This is something that literally is bringing us back to the focus of education and not indoctrination,” Rep. Doug Bankson, R-Apopka, said.

But Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami Beach, said the bill “validates hate” and poses constitutional questions.

“The problem with this bill is, in addition to the constitutional issues, that it fosters the same kind of intolerance that breeds the violence that makes our communities unsafe,” Joseph said. “And how it does that is by, instead of fostering tolerance, we focus on intolerance for culture wars.”

Florida’s investigation of College Football Playoff enters next phase

The Florida Attorney General’s antitrust investigation into the College Football Playoff and its snub of Florida State has reached its next phase. The CFP sent at least some documents to Ashley Moody’s office ahead of Wednesday’s deadline. That information is now under “active review” by the Attorney General’s Office, press Secretary Chase Sizemore said.

The CFP is still “in the process of producing information,” said Brett Daniels, the group’s senior director of communication and branding. He declined to comment further.

This update stems from the CFP selection committee’s decision to pick one-loss Alabama ahead of 13-0 FSU for the fourth and final spot in the four-team field.

A week and a half later, Moody began an investigation into the Texas-based group that manages the playoff about “possible contracts, combinations, or conspiracies ... relating to anticompetitive effects.” She sent a civil investigative demand — essentially a subpoena for civil cases that still has court power behind it — for information and documents related to the voting. Those included internal communications about conferences and the composition of major bowls and the playoff as well as individual and collective votes and notes.