Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York is hitting the pause button on a rapidly growing industry tied to artificial intelligence.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York is taking a measured approach to the growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Hochul on Thursday defended a newly signed one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers while state officials study their potential impacts on energy use, the environment and local communities.
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Hochul said the pause is intended to ensure future projects benefit New Yorkers and the communities that may host them.
The governor’s comments come after she signed what she described as the nation’s first moratorium on new hyperscale data centers.
Over the next year, state officials will examine how large AI-focused data centers could affect energy consumption, environmental conditions and the areas where such facilities may be built. The state is also working with local leaders to determine what benefits communities should receive if they choose to host a data center project.
Hochul emphasized that the moratorium is not an effort to discourage artificial intelligence development in New York. Instead, she said the state is temporarily stepping back to evaluate how best to manage the industry’s growth.
“I am very focused on AI for public good, AI can be a tremendous force of good,” Hochul said. “This is not hostility to the technology behind it, but it is simply saying we are gonna take a pause. We want to step back and make sure that New York is not only just first but the first to get it right.”
Legislators who oppose the year-long pause argue that decisions regarding data center development should be made at the local level rather than by state government.