Florida Democrats press DeSantis administration for details about AI contract for SNAP

Florida congressional Democrats want the DeSantis administration to answer questions about the use AI to help lower the state's high SNAP error rates. (Stock photo by Getty Images)Florida Democrats want to know how the state plans to use artificial intelligence to lower its error rate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). To help the state lower its error rate and avoid having to contribute as much as $1 billion toward food costs next year under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Florida Legislature appropriated $4 million to the Department of Children and Families in the state fiscal year 2026-27 for AI. The budget requires DCF to procure a contract with an AI vendor by Sept. 1 and directs the agency to hire a vendor capable of providing large-scale analyses of eligibility determinations using machine learning, identifying and correcting erroneous determinations, identifying root causes of erroneous determinations, and recommending operational improvements to avoi