Landmark Move: New York Governor Kathy Hochul Signs RAISE Act, Enacting Nation-Leading AI Safety Regulations for Frontier Models!
In a bold step forward amid New York AI safety regulations 2025, RAISE Act signed Hochul, frontier AI model transparency, AI incident reporting requirements, and state-level AI oversight DFS, Governor Kathy Hochul has signed the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Safety and Education (RAISE) Act into law, establishing groundbreaking safeguards for advanced artificial intelligence systems.
Governor Kathy Hochul signed the RAISE Act on December 19, 2025, following intense negotiations and amendments that brought it closer to California’s similar framework while retaining key strengths. The legislation, originally passed by the state Legislature in June 2025, targets developers of “frontier” AI models—highly advanced systems trained with significant computational resources (threshold raised to $500 million in some versions during talks).
Key provisions of the RAISE Act include:
- Safety and Security Protocols: Large AI developers must create, publish, and follow detailed plans to mitigate risks of “critical harm,” such as AI-enabled creation of bioweapons, widespread cyberattacks, or autonomous actions causing mass injury/death or $1 billion+ in damages.
- Incident Reporting: Companies must report critical safety incidents (or reasonable beliefs of imminent threats) within 72 hours—stricter than California’s 15-day window for confirmed events.
- Transparency Requirements: Public disclosure of safety testing and risk assessments for powerful models like those behind ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
- Oversight and Enforcement: Creates a new office within the Department of Financial Services (DFS) for monitoring compliance, with the Attorney General empowered to impose civil penalties (up to millions per violation).
Hochul hailed the law as “nation-leading,” stating: “New York is setting the national standard for strong, sensible AI regulation… as the federal government lags behind.” She emphasized alignment with California’s SB 53 to create a unified benchmark among tech-leading states, countering a perceived “Wild West” approach at the federal level under recent executive actions.
The signing caps months of drama: Tech industry lobbying initially pushed Hochul toward substantial rewrites mirroring California’s laxer rules (e.g., removing bans on unsafe model releases). Sponsors Assemblymember Alex Bores and Senator Andrew Gounardes negotiated back enhancements, declaring victory over “AI oligarchs” and federal preemption attempts.
Industry responses vary—some companies like Anthropic support the transparency push, while critics warn of compliance burdens potentially stifling innovation. Supporters, including safety advocates, celebrate it as the strongest state AI law yet.
This impacts U.S. readers amid rapid AI adoption: New York joins California in leading where federal action stalls, influencing national standards on risks like deepfakes or autonomous threats. For businesses and developers, it means heightened accountability; for consumers, greater protections in daily AI interactions (e.g., chatbots, recommendation systems).
Politically, it underscores state-federal tensions, with Hochul positioning New York as a proactive hub for ethical tech. Economically, it could attract responsible AI investment while raising costs for non-compliant firms.
As implementation begins (effective dates phased in 2026+), watch for DFS guidelines and potential lawsuits testing the law’s scope.
In this pivotal moment, New York AI safety regulations 2025, RAISE Act signed Hochul, frontier AI model transparency, AI incident reporting requirements, and state-level AI oversight DFS position the Empire State at the forefront of balancing innovation with public safety.
By Sam Michael
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