New York State Assemblymen Alex Bores (left) during a hearing questioning witnesses on artificial intelligence on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
"NY can be a leader on critical AI safety, or we can cave to the pressure of the same Big Tech and VC bullies pushing Trump’s AI safety ban," New York State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-26, the Senate sponsor for the RAISE Act, said on X. "I know which side I’m fighting on."
The RAISE Act, in its original form, sought to compel a select few of the most-advanced AI developers to implement specific safety protocols, including requirements to write detailed safety and security protocols that must then be followed, report incidents of serious harm within 72 hours to the New York attorney general, and a prohibition on the release of new models that could pose "unreasonable risk."
But Hochul's rewrite removed the prohibition on new AI models that could pose "unreasonable" risk, extended the reporting threshold to 15 days, and weakened penalties against AI companies, among other revisions that scaled back the bill’s restrictions.
"AI oligarchs want to take over our safety, our workforce, and our minds for their own personal profit and power," Bores told Fox News Digital when reached for comment. "They’ve already bought the White House and are trying very aggressively to try to buy statehouses, too. That can’t happen, and I won’t let it."
Some tech experts, including TechNYC's Julie Samuels, argue that aligning the RAISE Act with California's standards is actually a wise move because it will "help create a de facto national standard" that currently does not exist.
President Trump has made AI dominance a central part of his agenda during his second administration. (Getty Images)
"We want to have one central source of approval," Trump said.
According to senior Trump adviser Will Scharf, more than 1,000 bills aimed at regulating artificial intelligence are currently moving through state legislatures.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-state-lawmakers-blame-big-tech-pressure-after-ny-gov-hochul-severely-scales-back-ai-safety-legislation