New York Moves Ahead With
RAISE Act AI Regulations

AI Safety: Governor Hochul Announces Next Steps to Regulate Major AI Developers and Protect New Yorkers

Governor Kathy Hochul announced next steps to advance New York’s nation-leading AI safety law, the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act.

Starting in November, New York will direct large frontier AI developers to register with the State and prepare for compliance with strict requirements on transparency, safety, and incident reporting as prescribed by the RAISE Act. Those strict standards require large frontier AI developers to report critical safety incidents within 72 hours. Beginning January 2027, AI companies will be required to comply with those strict standards and provide regular reporting to the state’s new Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust (DIGIT) established within the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS).

The Governor also emphasized today that, in the coming months, she will be exploring ways to build on the RAISE Act as part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen New York’s nation-leading AI safety laws and regulations.

Immediately after Governor Hochul signed the RAISE Act into law, she convened an all-of-government effort to swiftly and effectively implement the RAISE Act, including DFS, the Office of Information Technology Services, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Today she announced the appointment of Marc Gilman as New York’s Deputy Director for the RAISE Act. In this role, he will support New York’s ongoing implementation of that law. Gilman is the first full-time hire of the Governor’s new Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust (DIGIT), announced in her State of the State earlier this year. In addition to DFS staff with expertise in technology regulation, cybersecurity, and AI already working on this implementation, additional full-time staff will be joining the DIGIT office in the coming weeks and months.

These actions come as the Trump Administration continues to ignore the issue of AI safety — taking no new action to regulate major AI companies despite increasing calls for alarm from whistleblowers and the developers themselves. As the UN General Assembly convenes in New York this week, Governor Hochul continues to call on federal and world leaders to finally take action on AI safety — just as New York has done.

“Donald Trump and Washington Republicans may be standing still as AI grows more unpredictable, but New York will not,” Governor Hochul said. “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.”

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.

Governor Kathy Hochul

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.”

New York’s nation-leading RAISE Act requires large frontier AI developers to:

• Establish safety and transparency frameworks, which must be published on the developer’s website;
• Report critical safety incidents to the DIGIT Office within 72 hours and, as required, to other government authorities;
• File quarterly assessments of catastrophic risks to the DIGIT Office, which may transmit them to other government authorities; and
• Register with DIGIT, file a disclosure statement at least every other year, starting January 1, 2027, and pay assessments.

The RAISE Act also permits the public to file suspected critical safety incident reports with the DIGIT Office which may transmit them to other governmental authorities as appropriate. The DIGIT Office will also produce an annual public report summarizing incident reports received, observations about frontier model safety, and any recommended changes to the RAISE Act.

State Senator 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.”

Assemblymember Alex Bores said, “While other Governors are waiting for federal action, Governor Hochul is forging ahead. DIGIT was empowered in the law to demand more data from AI companies, issue new rules, and recommend new legislation as the technology evolves. With everything we’ve been learning about AI in the past few months, now is exactly the moment for DIGIT to use those tools. The question of whether we have control is being decided right now and New York has a massive opportunity to be the one leading that fight.”

New York State Department of Financial Services Acting Superintendent Kaitlin Asrow said, “DFS is proud to lead the implementation of the RAISE Act for New York, and to build the state’s new DIGIT Office. As our team continues to grow, we are working to protect New Yorkers and ensure the public and our law enforcement partners have the necessary insight into frontier AI developers’ safety frameworks and developing risks.”

Marc Gilman has joined the New York State’s DIGIT Office as Deputy Director for the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act. In this role, Marc will support New York’s continued implementation of the RAISE Act. Marc previously served as General Counsel and VP of Compliance at Theta Lake, Inc., where he led enterprise commercial transactions, IP, regulatory engagement, and legal and compliance strategy for AI, privacy, and cybersecurity. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law, teaching about the intersection of financial services and technology.

RAISE Deputy Director Marc Gilman said, “I thank Governor Hochul and Acting Superintendent Asrow for the opportunity to serve New Yorkers in this critical time. I look forward to working with my colleagues to create more transparency in this industry and support responsible AI development.”

Earlier this year, Governor Hochul signed an Executive Order to create the nation’s first moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, establishing the strongest standards for data center development and creating a blueprint to support localities. The Governor is temporarily pausing State environmental permits for up to one year in order to build a nation-leading regulatory framework that protects ratepayers, the environment, the energy grid and communities across the state. Last week, at the Governor’s direction, Empire State Development released the nation’s first statewide Host Community Investment Framework for Data Center Development. The Community Investment Framework provides local governments with critical guidance for any future negotiations with major tech companies and developers, a powerful tool to ensure communities are protected from exploitative data center projects and get the benefits they deserve.

Source: New York Governor's Office