New York state lawmakers handed a invoice on Thursday that goals to stop frontier AI fashions from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic from contributing to catastrophe eventualities, together with the demise or damage of greater than 100 individuals, or greater than $1 billion in damages.
The passage of the RAISE Act represents a win for the AI security motion, which has misplaced floor in recent times as Silicon Valley and the Trump administration have prioritized velocity and innovation. Security advocates together with Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton and AI analysis pioneer Yoshua Bengio have championed the RAISE Act. Ought to it turn into legislation, the invoice would set up America’s first set of legally mandated transparency requirements for frontier AI labs.
The RAISE Act has among the identical provisions and targets as California’s controversial AI security invoice, SB 1047, which was finally vetoed. Nevertheless, the co-sponsor of the invoice, New York state Senator Andrew Gounardes, instructed TechCrunch in an interview that he intentionally designed the RAISE Act such that it doesn’t chill innovation amongst startups or educational researchers — a standard criticism of SB 1047.
“The window to place in place guardrails is quickly shrinking given how briskly this expertise is evolving,” mentioned Senator Gounardes. “The those who know [AI] one of the best say that these dangers are extremely doubtless […] That’s alarming.”
The RAISE Act is now headed for New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk, the place she may both signal the invoice into legislation, ship it again for amendments, or veto it altogether.
If signed into legislation, New York’s AI security invoice would require the world’s largest AI labs to publish thorough security and safety studies on their frontier AI fashions. The invoice additionally requires AI labs to report security incidents, comparable to regarding AI mannequin conduct or dangerous actors stealing an AI mannequin, ought to they occur. If tech firms fail to stay as much as these requirements, the RAISE Act empowers New York’s legal professional basic to deliver civil penalties of as much as $30 million.
The RAISE Act goals to narrowly regulate the world’s largest firms — whether or not they’re based mostly in California (like OpenAI and Google) or China (like DeepSeek and Alibaba). The invoice’s transparency necessities apply to firms whose AI fashions have been skilled utilizing greater than $100 million in computing assets (seemingly, greater than any AI mannequin out there at this time), and are being made out there to New York residents.
Whereas just like SB 1047 in some methods, the RAISE Act was designed to deal with criticisms of earlier AI security payments, in response to Nathan Calvin, the vice chairman of State Affairs and basic counsel at Encode, who labored on this invoice and SB 1047. Notably, the RAISE Act doesn’t require AI mannequin builders to incorporate a “kill swap” on their fashions, nor does it maintain firms that post-train frontier AI fashions accountable for important harms.
Nonetheless, Silicon Valley has pushed again considerably on New York’s AI security invoice, New York state Assemblymember and co-sponsor of the RAISE Act Alex Bores instructed TechCrunch. Bores referred to as the trade resistance unsurprising, however claimed that the RAISE Act wouldn’t restrict innovation of tech firms in any approach.
“The NY RAISE Act is one more silly, silly state stage AI invoice that may solely harm the US at a time when our adversaries are racing forward,” mentioned Andreessen Horowitz basic associate Anjney Midha in a Friday publish on X. Andreessen Horowitz and startup incubator Y Combinator have been among the fiercest opponents to SB 1047.
Anthropic, the safety-focused AI lab that referred to as for federal transparency standards for AI firms earlier this month, has not reached an official stance on the invoice, co-founder Jack Clark mentioned in a Friday publish on X. Nevertheless, Clark expressed some grievances over how broad the RAISE Act is, noting that it may current a threat to “smaller firms.”
When requested about Anthropic’s criticism, state Senator Gounardes instructed TechCrunch he thought it “misses the mark,” noting that he designed the invoice to not apply to small firms.
OpenAI, Google, and Meta didn’t reply to TechCrunch’s request for remark.
One other frequent criticism of the RAISE Act is that AI mannequin builders merely wouldn’t provide their most superior AI fashions within the state of New York. That was an identical criticism introduced in opposition to SB 1047, and it’s largely what’s performed out in Europe because of the continent’s powerful rules on expertise.
Assemblymember Bores instructed TechCrunch that the regulatory burden of the RAISE Act is comparatively gentle, and due to this fact, shouldn’t require tech firms to cease working their merchandise in New York. Given the truth that New York has the third largest GDP within the U.S., pulling out of the state isn’t one thing most firms would take calmly.
“I don’t wish to underestimate the political pettiness that may occur, however I’m very assured that there isn’t any financial motive for [AI companies] to not make their fashions out there in New York,” mentioned Assemblymember Bores.
