New York (WRGB) — New York is moving to tighten oversight of some of the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence systems, ordering large “frontier” AI developers to begin registering with the state starting in November as the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act rolls out.
Gov. Hochul announced the next steps to implement the state’s AI safety law, including a registration process that will require major AI developers to prepare for strict rules on transparency, safety and incident reporting. Under the law, large frontier AI developers must report critical safety incidents within 72 hours.
Beginning January 2027, AI companies will be required to comply with the RAISE Act’s standards and provide regular reporting to the state’s new Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust, known as DIGIT. The office is housed within the New York State Department of Financial Services.
Gov. Hochul also said she will be exploring additional steps “in the coming months” to build on the RAISE Act as New York continues efforts to strengthen AI safety laws and regulations.
As part of the implementation push, Hochul appointed Marc Gilman as New York’s deputy director for the RAISE Act. Gilman will support the state’s ongoing implementation of the law and is the first full-time hire for the new DIGIT office, which Hochul announced earlier this year in her State of the State. The state said additional full-time staff will be joining DIGIT in the coming weeks and months, alongside existing Department of Financial Services staff with expertise in technology regulation, cybersecurity and AI.
The announcement comes as the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York this week, and as Hochul criticized the Trump administration for what the state described as inaction on AI safety.
Gov. Hochul said,
Donald Trump and Washington Republicans may be standing still as AI grows more unpredictable, but New York will not. When companies are building some of the most powerful technology in the world, people deserve to know what they’re doing to keep it safe, and those companies should be held accountable when things go wrong. As this technology continues to evolve, I’ll continue working on additional steps to protect New Yorkers.
Attorney General Letitia James said,
As artificial intelligence advances rapidly, New York is leading the nation in passing safe and responsible laws and regulations to protect our state. I was proud to champion the RAISE Act and I look forward to implementing these critical guardrails. My office will always enforce the law and do everything in our power to keep New Yorkers safe.
Under the RAISE Act, large frontier AI developers are required to establish safety and transparency frameworks and publish them on their websites. They must report critical safety incidents to the DIGIT office within 72 hours and, as required, to other government authorities. The law also requires quarterly assessments of catastrophic risks to be filed with DIGIT, which may transmit them to other government authorities.
The law requires developers to register with DIGIT, file a disclosure statement at least every other year starting Jan. 1, 2027, and pay assessments.
The RAISE Act also allows the public to file suspected critical safety incident reports with DIGIT, which may transmit them to other governmental authorities as appropriate. DIGIT is also tasked with producing an annual public report summarizing incident reports received, observations about frontier model safety and any recommended changes to the RAISE Act.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes said,
AI companies are playing Russian Roulette with humanity’s future. The federal government may bury its head in the sand on this life-or-death issue, but here in New York, we’re acting decisively to ensure our safety comes before Big Tech’s profits. I passed the RAISE Act to ensure New York holds the biggest AI developers to strict safety and transparency standards. When it comes to advanced AI, we can afford nothing less. Today’s announcement is an important step toward protecting the future of New Yorkers and of all people, and it certainly won’t be the last—we’ve got more work to do and my sleeves are already rolled up to get to it. I applaud Governor Hochul for taking action.
The state also pointed to separate actions tied to the rapid growth of AI infrastructure. Earlier this year, Hochul signed an executive order creating what the state described as the nation’s first moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, temporarily pausing state environmental permits for up to one year while New York builds a regulatory framework aimed at protecting ratepayers, the environment, the energy grid and communities.
Previously, Empire State Development released what the state described as the nation’s first statewide Host Community Investment Framework for Data Center Development. The framework is intended to give local governments guidance for future negotiations with major tech companies and developers, which the state said will help protect communities from exploitative data center projects and ensure they receive benefits.