New York orders frontier AI developers to register with state

New York is ordering frontier artificial intelligence developers to register with the state government, starting in November, before a new law takes effect next year.Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced new stringent AI rules on Monday. The state’s push to regulate the AI industry comes after Hochul signed the Responsible AI Safety and Education Act into law late last year.In November, AI firms making more than $500 million in annual revenue, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, must register with the New York State Department of Financial Services. The companies must also comply with strict transparency standards that require them to publish safety protocols and report critical safety incidents within 72 hours. The standards will be enforced by the RAISE Act, set to take effect in January 2027. Any companies that don’t comply with the law will incur civil penalties, Hochul warned.“Now, I know there’s responsible AI developers out there who care deeply about safety, transparency, and doing things the right way — developers who want commonsense regulation, who want uniformity, who want to work with us in good faith. And I also know there’s other AI developers already on the phone with their legal teams planning their lawsuits against us,” the governor said at a press conference.“Here’s my message to them: Bring it on,” she added. “We will fight you in court, and we will hold you accountable. Because here in New York, our people always come before the race for the most powerful technology. And because no matter where you look, smart, sensible regulation is fundamental to a safe and functioning society.”Hochul left open the possibility of mandating an AI “kill switch” in New York after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed an executive order to create one in the event that the advanced technology gets out of hand.“Now, as this technology evolves, we’ll use every tool available that we have at the state level to protect New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “We’ll look closely at additional ways to build on the RAISE Act and strengthen our AI laws. We may even explore safeguards like AI kill switches if they’re deemed feasible and in the best interest of our state.”Her approach to AI regulation drastically differs from the stance taken by President Donald Trump, who intends to focus on accelerating AI innovation in his attempt to maintain U.S. dominance over China.“I’m not going to stifle Growth, of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution, or the Internet, itself,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday. “We will be careful, and that’s why we have the Department of Justice, and other Law Enforcement bodies, that will rein things in if we have to, but I will only encourage AI or, SI (SUPER INTELLIGENCE)!”Hochul asked the federal government to join New York in safely managing frontier AI development.“While the world is watching our state as the United Nations General Assembly begins, I’m calling on our federal government and calling on world leaders to step up and join us because it can’t just be New York,” the New York Democrat said. “It can’t just be California. It can’t just be a handful of governors. We need a national and global strategy.”NEWSOM ENTERS AI POLITICAL FIRESTORM WITH ‘KILL SWITCH’ EXECUTIVE ORDERConcerns about AI safety reached their zenith earlier this month when Jacob Coxon, a former AI researcher at Anthropic, predicted that frontier AI models will lead to humanity’s downfall in the next few years. Coxon said that was the view held by many executives and employees in the AI industry. Nvidia President and CEO Jensen Huang doesn’t hold the same view.In an interview with CBS News on Friday, Huang said, “2030 is not going to be the end of the world. There is 0% chance that’s going to be the end of the world.” He added that “scaring people” into believing the AI doomsday scenario is “unnecessary” and “irresponsible.”