artificial intelligence
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Machines Need Permits, Too
On July 8, the Sarasota County Commission voted 5-0 to freeze the acceptance or review of data center applications for a year. One of the commissioners stated, “For me, it’s a no. Not now, not ever.” I’ve spent a number of recent blog posts writing about the AI industry and what it takes from us…
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Dear Grads (2026): I Want to Believe
“Dear Grads” is a series I publish each spring for high school graduates. Consider it unsolicited advice from a lawyer who has been around long enough to know a few things — and young enough to still remember what it felt like not to. Growing up in the 1990s, Friday nights had a shape to…
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Florida SB 1616: A Gift from Florida Legislators to The AI Industry
March 13, 2026 Update After this blog post was published, Senate Bill 1616 “died in judiciary” and so it was never voted on, and, of course, never became law. Good. Nevertheless, I’ve left the original blog post up as a reminder of what they tried to do. Remember When I Said We Need AI Regulation?…
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Why I’ve Stopped Feeding the Machines
If you’ve been a regular reader here, you’ve probably noticed my posting cadence has changed. Where I used to publish multiple times a month, it’s now sporadic at best—mostly thoughts on AI and what it’s doing to the world we used to know. This is a deliberate choice, and I feel that maybe I owe…
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Lawyers, We’re Having the Wrong Conversation About AI
Picture this: You’re at a bar function, someone mentions they’re using AI for legal research, and immediately three people jump in with: “Oh, you have to check the citations!”… “It hallucinates!”… “I heard it gave someone completely fake cases!” Yes, we know. That was 2023. Don’t get me wrong—those were valid concerns when ChatGPT first…
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Gone in 60 Milliseconds
Does Anyone Care that AI Bots are Stealing Everyone’s Data? As artificial intelligence continues to reshape our digital landscape, website owners, content creators, and businesses are grappling with a fundamental question: Who controls how your online content is used to train AI systems? The answer, unfortunately, is more complicated than you might expect. The Current…
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How to Disable eBay’s Hidden AI Data Collection Setting
I’ve been using eBay for years. With 132 million active users, chances are that you are an eBay user, as well. Recently, while adjusting some of the payment preferences in my account, I stumbled upon a surprising setting buried deep in my account settings. It’s a toggle that provides “consent” for eBay to use your…
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Dear Grads (2025): The Chatbots Are Coming… and So You Should Consider Law School
In re: Chatbots v. Law As another school year culminates and a fresh wave of bright graduates stands ready to step into the world, I find myself reflecting on the big questions that likely occupy your minds: What comes next? What path should I choose? It’s a thrilling, and perhaps a little daunting, time. As…
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The Right to Repair is the Right to be Free From Tyranny
From Light Bulbs to Washing Machines. A Culture of Disposable Tech. In the 1920s, a cartel of lightbulb manufacturers, including Osram, Philips, and General Electric, banded together and agreed to intentionally shorten the lifespans of light bulbs that they manufactured. A light bulb that breaks is a light bulb that needs to be replaced. A…
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Lawyers, Don’t Fear the Reaper
A.I. may be new and scary, but the legal profession should embrace it, not bogeyman it. One of the benefits of being a licensed Florida attorney is that, every month, without fail, I receive a nice, crisp copy of The Florida Bar News. This month was like no other as I recently received the September…