New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a press release Monday plans to expand AI development regulation to protect AI development employees and the communities that AI companies are surrounded by.
This registration will come with the obligation to follow stricter safety laws and regulations as New York attempts to further regulate AI policy in the state. New York is home to a few top AI developers, especially those operating in the financial and media sectors. New York is currently the state with the third largest amount of AI development companies, which underscores the need for more policy, according to Hochul.
“We need a national and global strategy,” Hochul said at a press conference Monday. “Look at what we’re doing in New York. Use it as a model, as a strong starting point. Something we can expand, scale, and evolve nationwide and, indeed, worldwide.”
In order to comply with New York’s Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act, large AI developers must report critical safety incidents within 72 hours, as well as publicly display their safety frameworks on their websites. They must also register and report regularly to New York’s new Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT).
With the RAISE Act, the public may also file critical safety incident reports with the DIGIT office. The DIGIT office will publish yearly safety reports for the public to access information about the incident reports received about each large AI developer in New York.
California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a similar law that went into effect last January. Just last week, the San Francisco-based developer OpenAI disclosed six new safety incidents.
“There is nothing anti-innovation about accountability,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said at the same Monday press conference.
Hochul’s aim to advance the RAISE Act is a direct response to the Trump Administration’s taking no measures to regulate AI, according to Hochul.
“Donald Trump and Washington Republicans may be standing still as AI grows more unpredictable, but New York will not,” Governor Hochul said in the press release.“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.”
Hochul also made the first full-time hire for DIGIT, appointing Marc Gilman as deputy director. Gilman was formerly the general counsel and VP of compliance at Theta Lake, Inc. According to Hochul, she will be hiring additional full-time staff in the coming months.
Earlier this year, Hochul signed an Executive Order to create the nation’s first moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, developing a framework to protect the communities and the environment that surround these centers.
“Let’s work together. Let’s manage the AI revolution thoughtfully and responsibly before it gets out of hand,” Hochul said Monday.