In a major step toward regulating artificial intelligence, New York state lawmakers have approved a new bill focused on curbing the potential dangers posed by advanced AI models. Known as the RAISE Act, the legislation seeks to ensure that large-scale AI systems do not contribute to severe incidents that could lead to mass harm including scenarios resulting in over 100 deaths or damages exceeding $1 billion.
The bill marks a significant victory for AI safety advocates who have long pushed for stronger regulations in the face of rapid technological growth. The law targets frontier AI systems developed by major companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, among others. If enacted, it would become the first law in the United States to mandate transparency from developers of these powerful systems.
The RAISE Act is designed to balance innovation with safety. Unlike similar proposals that were criticized for stifling startups and academic research, the New York legislation has been framed to avoid putting unnecessary restrictions on smaller players in the AI field.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who co-sponsored the bill, emphasized the urgency of implementing safeguards. “As AI evolves at breakneck speed, we have a shrinking window to put meaningful guardrails in place,” he said.
What the Bill Requires
If signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, the RAISE Act would require developers of high-powered AI models to publish detailed safety and security assessments. These reports would include disclosures on model behavior, potential misuse, and any serious incidents such as unauthorized access or risky outputs that occur.
The law also grants the state’s Attorney General the power to impose civil penalties of up to $30 million on companies that fail to comply with the standards.
Crucially, the Act applies only to AI systems trained using resources exceeding $100 million, ensuring the rules are limited to the largest developers in the space.
Industry Response and Global Implications
Although the law has gained support from prominent AI researchers, such as Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, it has also attracted criticism from some in the tech community. Industry leaders argue that heavy-handed regulation could discourage innovation or lead companies to avoid offering their products in New York.
Some investors and tech executives have taken to social media to criticize the bill, claiming it could hinder American competitiveness in AI. However, lawmakers behind the bill say the requirements are reasonable and unlikely to push companies out of the state especially given New York’s economic influence.
AI-focused companies, including Anthropic and Meta, have not issued strong positions on the bill yet, though some representatives have raised concerns about how smaller companies might be affected. In response, lawmakers reiterated that the bill was intentionally designed to exclude startups from its scope.
The RAISE Act echoes the growing global trend of regulating AI to prevent misuse, especially as countries like India and members of the European Union begin shaping their own policies around emerging technologies.
Source: Techcrunch
