New York opens registration portal for frontier AI firms

The law applies to frontier AI developers with more than $500 million in annual revenue. It requires them to publish safety frameworks on their websites, issue public model-transparency reports and report critical safety incidents within 72 hours. The state can impose penalties of up to $1 million for a first violation and $3 million for subsequent violations.

The newly formed Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT) will implement the law and oversee large frontier AI labs. New York can also take enforcement action against companies that fail to register, although a state spokesperson declined to specify what that action might involve.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the portal on Tuesday and criticized technology executives who describe AI’s advance as inevitable. “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,” she said at a press briefing.

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

New York has also enacted safeguards for AI companions and chatbots used by minors. A law already being enforced requires AI companion operators to tell users regularly that they are speaking with a bot and make reasonable efforts to detect suicidal ideation and self-harm. A separate law signed in October restricts certain chatbot interactions with minors, including deceptive human-like behavior and responses that encourage suicide or disordered eating; it takes effect June 1, 2027.

Other states have adopted similar rules. California’s SB 53, effective in January, requires published safety frameworks, whistleblower protections and reports of critical safety incidents within 15 days. Illinois’s SB 315, due to take effect at the start of 2027, has similar requirements and adds independent safety compliance audits.