Source: TechCrunch

TechCrunch reports that on December 20, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act into law, establishing one of the strictest regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence in the United States. The legislation specifically targets "frontier" AI models—defined by a computing power threshold of 10^26 FLOPS—requiring developers to implement comprehensive safety frameworks and disclose their testing protocols to the state. The signing took place in Albany, New York.

The Act creates a new oversight office within the Department of Financial Services tasked with monitoring compliance and assessing risks. Key provisions include a mandatory 72-hour reporting window for any "critical safety incidents" and substantial financial penalties for non-compliance, ranging from $1 million for initial violations up to $3 million for repeat offenses. This move positions New York alongside California as a leader in state-level AI governance, filling the gap left by the absence of comprehensive federal regulation.

However, the final version of the bill reflects significant compromises made following intense lobbying from the technology sector. Governor Hochul’s office negotiated changes to align the legislation more closely with California’s SB 53, replacing rigid "protocols" with more flexible "frameworks" and removing clauses that would have outright banned models posing "unreasonable risks." Critics argue these changes diluted the bill's original intent, though supporters maintain it strikes a necessary balance between public safety and fostering innovation in the tech industry.