New York Opens Registration for Frontier AI Labs Ahead of RAISE Act

New York has opened a registration portal for large frontier AI developers, including companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, which must sign up by January 1, 2027, as the state prepares to enforce one of the country’s most significant AI safety laws.

The RAISE Act, New York’s AI safety and transparency law, takes effect at the start of the year. It applies to frontier developers with more than $500 million in annual revenue, requiring them to publish safety frameworks on their websites, report critical safety incidents within 72 hours and release public transparency reports for their models.

Implementation and oversight will fall to the newly formed Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT). Penalties can reach $1 million for a first violation and $3 million for subsequent ones, and the state can also take enforcement action against companies that fail to register, although a spokesperson declined to give details.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul said technology leaders present their vision for AI as inevitable, urging others to get on board or be left behind, and treating any collateral damage as acceptable in the race to win. She said New York is building a national model for sensible AI regulation that prioritises communities over corporations and people over powerful technology.

Hochul also opened the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research at the State University of New York’s Binghamton University. The centre, first announced in January with $55 million in donations and capital, will independently evaluate the safety, security and operation of advanced AI systems and work with DIGIT to review companies’ safety frameworks.

The RAISE Act builds on New York’s existing AI rules. Last year, the state began enforcing a law requiring AI companion operators to regularly remind users they are talking to a bot and to make reasonable efforts to detect suicidal ideation and self-harm. In October, Hochul signed a separate chatbot safety law for minors, restricting deceptive human-like interactions, emotionally manipulative or sycophantic responses, and encouragement of harmful behaviours. That law takes effect on June 1, 2027.

Other states have passed comparable measures. California’s SB 53, in force since January, requires frontier AI labs to publish safety frameworks, protect whistleblowers and report critical safety incidents within 15 days. Illinois’ SB 315, which takes effect at the start of 2027, carries similar requirements alongside independent safety compliance audits.