Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation that establishes new requirements for artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks in New York, aiming to increase transparency and safety standards for AI frontier models. The law, known as the RAISE Act (S6953B/A6453B), mandates that large AI developers must document and publicly share their safety protocols and report any incidents to the state within 72 hours of detection. An oversight office will be created within the Department of Financial Services to assess these developers and issue annual reports.
Governor Hochul stated, “By enacting the RAISE Act, New York is once again leading the nation in setting a strong and sensible standard for frontier AI safety, holding the biggest developers accountable for their safety and transparency protocols. This law builds on California’s recently adopted framework, creating a unified benchmark among the country’s leading tech states as the federal government lags behind, failing to implement common-sense regulations that protect the public. I thank the leaders and members of both houses of the Legislature, as well as the bill’s sponsors, for their partnership in delivering this responsible, nation-leading approach to AI safety.”
The legislation gives enforcement authority to the Attorney General, who can bring civil actions against large AI developers if they fail to comply with reporting requirements or provide false information. Penalties can reach up to $1 million for a first violation and up to $3 million for further violations.
Kaitlin Asrow, Acting Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, commented on DFS’s role: “DFS has been a leader in developing rules that are facilitating the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence by financial services companies. DFS looks forward to supporting Governor Hochul’s continued efforts to foster innovation and establish standards for the safe development of artificial intelligence models.”
State Senator Andrew Gournardes described passage of the act as significant: “This is an enormous win for the safety of our communities, the growth of our economy and the future of our society. The RAISE Act lays the groundwork for a world where AI innovation makes life better instead of putting it at risk. Big tech oligarchs think it’s fine to put their profits ahead of our safety — we disagree. With this law, we make clear that tech innovation and safety don’t have to be at odds. In New York, we can lead in both.”
Assemblymember Alex Bores said: “Today is a major victory in what will soon be a national fight to harness the best of AI’s potential and protect Americans from the worst of its harms. New York now has the strongest AI transparency law in the country. This bill moves beyond California’s SB53 in significant ways, and sets the stage for greater disclosure, learning, and legislative action in years to come. In New York, we defeated last-ditch attempts from AI oligarchs to wipe out this bill and, by doing so, raised the floor for what AI safety legislation can look like. And we defeated Trump’s — and his donors’ — attempt to stop RAISE through executive action greenlighting a Wild West for AI.”
The new measures build upon initiatives such as Empire AI—a consortium launched under Governor Hochul—which brings together academia, industry leaders and government agencies with an aim toward ethical development within artificial intelligence.