UTICA, N.Y. — Page 59 of her 2025 State of the State Address book declares that Governor Kathy Hochul would direct the State Department of Labor to require businesses to declare on their WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices if AI was a factor in any job loss.
According to the State Department of Labor, of the many employers who’ve filed warn notices in the past year, including Amazon, Morgan Stanley and Ebay, none have listed AI as a reason for the layoff.
Now, New York State is looking at legislating it, with Senate Bill S8928.
“I think it’s a good bill. I think it’s a good bill right now, because AI it’s really the wild wild west,” said Assemblyman Brian Miller (R-NY 122).
But there isn’t an Assembly companion bill yet.
“There isn’t one at this moment, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in bill drafting, or if Senator Cooney has approached one of my fellow colleagues in the Assembly to put this in,” said Miller.
“I think the biggest thing is, we have to avoid making artificial intelligence the boogey man,” said Tony Martino, president of Utica-based cyber security company Anjolen.
Martino wants to make sure the state doesn’t demonize a technology there is no stopping, and that can also create jobs.
“It is also a technology that New York State and many other states are working hard to work with manufacturers and work with technology companies in a manner that can allow this to become a force multiplier instead of a reducer,” said Martino.
Miller said it’s important to keep an eye on this force that stands to impact virtually every industry.
“We’re not stopping AI. We’re making sure it doesn’t outpace our workforce. That’s really what we’re trying to do; what this bill’s trying to do,” said the assemblyman.
In order for Senate Bill 8928 to become law, they, and the Assembly, would each have to pass their own bills and the governor would have to sign it into law.
Page 59 of her 2025 State of the State Address book declares that Governor Kathy Hochul would direct the State Department of Labor to require businesses to declare on their WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices if AI was a factor in any job loss.