New York opens RAISE Act registration, deadline January 1, 2027

New York's RAISE Act is not the state's first foray into AI safety legislation. Last year, the state began enforcing a law requiring AI companion operators to regularly let users know they're talking to a bot and to make reasonable efforts to detect suicidal ideation and self-harm. In October, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a separate chatbot safety law for minors, restricting behaviors like deceptive human-like interactions, emotionally manipulative or sycophantic responses, and encouragement of behaviors like suicide or disordered eating. That law takes effect June 1, 2027.

Other states have also passed similar AI safety and transparency bills. California's SB 53, which took effect in January, mandates that frontier AI labs have in place and publish safety frameworks, enact whistleblower protections, and report critical safety incidents within 15 days. Illinois's SB 315, which will go into effect at the start of 2027, has similar requirements, plus includes independent safety compliance audits. New York's law thus joins a growing patchwork of state-level AI regulations, with its own distinct deadlines and penalty structure.

On Tuesday, Hochul also launched the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research based at State University of New York's Binghamton University. The center will independently evaluate the safety, security, and operation of advanced AI systems and work with the newly formed Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT) to review companies' safety frameworks. Hochul first announced the center in January with $55 million in donations and capital. "We're building a national model for smart, sensible AI regulation, a model that puts communities above corporations and people above powerful technology," Hochul said.