FLORIDA — The Florida Department of Education is proposing a rule that would require all 28 Florida College System institutions to adopt policies governing the use of artificial intelligence on campus.
The proposal would affect state colleges across Florida, including several in Central Florida. It would require each college’s board of trustees to outline how AI may be used, its limitations and which tools are approved.
The state says the goal is to protect academic integrity, support quality education and help students learn to use AI responsibly as they prepare to enter the workforce.
Under the proposal, college policies would have to address academic integrity, course assignments and grading. Students would not be allowed to use AI on graded assignments unless an instructor specifically permits it.
The policies would apply to students, faculty, staff, administrators and guests. The proposal also calls for AI literacy standards to help students understand responsible use of the technology and build workforce skills.
Some Central Florida colleges have already started developing AI rules. Seminole State College has had an AI policy in place for more than a year, according to college President Georgia Lorenz.
“We established an AI task force, which continues to this day, and they developed a policy for the college,” Lorenz said.
Lorenz said faculty members at Seminole State have also taken part in professional development related to AI.
“Faculty have been really invested in professional development around AI and have learned a lot,” Lorenz said. “And I’m not going to say we’re 100% foolproof or anything like that. This is a really dynamic situation, but we do have some of those guardrails in place already.”
Lake-Sumter State College’s spokesperson Kevin Yurasek told Spectrum News in a statement,
“We are still reviewing the specific rule proposed by the Department of Education this week. As an institution, we are in support of the responsible use of AI as an instructional tool for workforce readiness. In fact, several of our faculty have already implemented training into their courses that provide students with knowledge and experiences that prepare them to responsibly use AI once they enter the workforce.”
The Department of Education says the proposed college rule is not intended to ban AI, but to create consistent rules across Florida’s college system.
The state has also been directing K-12 school districts to add AI rules to their internet safety guidelines. Under those guidelines, parents would have to be notified if AI tools are used in classrooms and would have the option to opt their child out.
AI used in pre-K through fifth grade would face an additional review process.
The State Board of Education is expected to consider the college proposal Sept. 16.