New York has opened a registration portal for large frontier AI developers, with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI required to sign up by January 1, 2027. The move comes as the state's RAISE Act, a safety and transparency law, takes effect at the start of the year.

The law applies to frontier developers earning more than $500 million in annual revenue. They must publish safety frameworks on their websites, report critical safety incidents within 72 hours, and issue public model transparency reports.

A newly formed office - the Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT) - will implement the law and oversee the labs. Penalties can reach $1 million for a single violation and $3 million for subsequent ones, and the state can take enforcement action against companies that fail to register.

"Tech moguls tell us that their vision for AI is inevitable," Governor Kathy Hochul said at a press briefing. "They tell us get on board or get left behind... That any collateral damage is worth it as long as we win the race to the AI cliff."

Hochul also launched the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research at Binghamton University, which will independently evaluate advanced AI systems and work with DIGIT to review companies' safety frameworks. The center was first announced 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.

New York has passed other safety laws as well. Last year it began enforcing a rule requiring AI companion operators to regularly tell users they're talking to a bot and to make reasonable efforts to detect suicidal ideation and self-harm. In October, Hochul signed a chatbot safety law for minors that takes effect June 1, 2027.

Other states have pursued similar measures. California's SB 53 took effect in January, requiring frontier labs to publish safety frameworks, protect whistleblowers, and report critical incidents within 15 days. Illinois' SB 315 takes effect at the start of 2027 and adds independent safety compliance audits.

Source: TechCrunch