New York Governor Signs Sweeping AI Safety Law: What Businesses Can Do in 2026 to Prepare For a New Era
New York has officially joined California at the forefront of US artificial intelligence regulation. Governor Kathy Hochul just signed a revised version of the Responsible AI Safety and Education Act (RAISE Act) into law on Friday, establishing strict safety obligations for developers of the most advanced AI systems. The final law is narrower and less punitive than the version passed in June, but still marks one of the most consequential state AI safety laws enacted to date . Here’s what businesses need to know about what actually became law – and some specific steps you can take in 2026 to prepare for the January 1, 2027 effective date. AI Regulation Focused on Catastrophic Risk: Who is Covered? Unlike most state AI laws and proposed laws that focus on bias, discrimination, or consumer deception, New York’s RAISE Act targets a very specific risk category: catastrophic harm caused by highly capable AI systems. The law applies to “frontier models,” the largest and most advanced AI sys...