Report: AI projected to add $100B to Florida GDP in a decade

The AI boom is about to be so booming, a new report from a pro-AI advocacy nonprofit says, that Florida’s GDP will grow over the next decade as if the state created a new $100 billion industry. 

The report, from Build American AI, comes as AI chatter is booming, too — and not only in a good way. State and federal lawmakers are proposing legislation aimed at all corners of AI, from data centers to parental controls. Multiple public surveys, meanwhile, have captured the ‘robot takeover’ mindset among a large chunk of people. To wit: A Pew Research Center survey earlier this year found about half of American workers, 52%, say they’re worried about the future impact of AI use in the workplace and 32% think it will lead to fewer job opportunities.

And consider college students: In one viral example, University of Central Florida students at the Orlando school’s College of Arts and Humanities booed a commencement speaker last month when she praised AI as the “next industrial revolution,” according to the Associated Press and other media reports. The graduates, pursuing careers in creative fields such as writing, music and animation, say the remarks struck a nerve because of concerns AI could replace creative jobs, lower wages and make already competitive fields more difficult to enter, the AP reports. 

Build American AI’s research contends those concerns, from UCF to the Pew Research, aren’t only an overaction, it’s akin to complaining about being wet in a pool: AI is happening, be it in the States or China, Build American AI says, so reasonable accommodations and guardrails need to be at forefront, so as to nurture, not drown the industry. And with those protections, AI, the organization contends, has the power to create jobs — not curtail them.

“The global race for AI leadership is already underway, and the economic stakes couldn’t be higher,” Build American AI Executive Director Nathan Leamer says in a statement. “This report makes clear that artificial intelligence isn’t a future promise — it’s already driving real growth for Florida’s small businesses and communities. Florida’s success shows what’s possible when innovation is encouraged and investment is welcomed. If we want the next generation of breakthroughs, and the jobs and industries that come with them, to be built in America, we need a clear, national framework that gives businesses the certainty to invest, grow, and innovate at speed and scale.”

Some key nuggets in the report include: 

• AI will contribute an estimated $81 billion to $121 billion in economic output to Florida’s rapidly growing economy by 2035
• Florida ranks 5th nationally in AI readiness, positioning the state as a leader in emerging technology adoption
• Nationally, 58% of small businesses now use AI, the organization found. Applied to Florida, this implies that roughly 1.9 million Florida small businesses are likely already using AI, with about 1.6 million having grown their workforce and 1.7 million reporting revenue increases since adoption.

Build American AI is a nonprofit arm of a pro-AI super PAC, Leading the Future. That super PAC, according to The Hill and Business Insider, has received some $50 million from multiple Silicon Valley firms and AI executives. The list includes venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife. (OpenAI created ChatGPT.) The Hill reported late last year Build American AI had launched a $10 million campaign urging Congress to pass “a uniform national approach” to AI regulation. 

The latest report enhances that campaign, including a recommendation to support the Trump Administration's National AI Framework, which, Build American AI says, “provides a clear, pro-growth federal approach that prioritizes innovation, protects communities and creates a consistent national standard for AI governance.”