Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Declares NY Will Lead the Nation in AI Science and Safety; Launches New Research Institute

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul today launched a first-of-its-kind statewide effort to advance artificial intelligence science and safety – the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research based at State University of New York’s (SUNY) Binghamton University. The Center will bring together unprecedented academic expertise to advance AI safety research, accelerate scientific discovery, and independently test advanced AI systems for safety and security.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

 Great to see everyone. We know New York has never shied away from filling the leadership vacuum in Washington, which is rather expansive. Never shied away from standing up to powerful corporate interests. And we're proving today that once again, as we take new steps to rein in artificial intelligence and keep big tech in check and protect our future, that's exactly what we're doing.

And I want to thank the individuals here with me today. Greg Morrisett, the co-director of the New York Center for AI Responsibility. He'll be talking about his new weight of responsibility that we've conferred on him. Glad you said yes. I'm not sure you were given an option. That's how we operate here.

Tom Secunda, one of the most brilliant thinkers in our state who has guided us to many ideas that are nation leading, especially when it comes to the genesis of Empire AI. And now this new evolution of what he's doing at a place that he holds near and dear, which is SUNY Binghamton. I want to thank him. Let's give a round of applause to Tom.

Cristin Frodella, our parent who’s going to talk about it from a parent's perspective as well. Anne D’Alleva, the President of SUNY Binghamton, thank you for being here. And of course members of my cabinet and our team. John King, our SUNY Chancellor. John is always in the room when the big things are happening. I want to thank you and, of course, our acting DFS Superintendent, Kaitlin Asrow.

So let's get started. And I do want to thank Tom for his continued partnership in bringing the idea to me; you had me at hello. To make sure that we're a leader in AI innovation and safety. And AI, we know, offers enormous promise, but also poses existential threats to our economy, society, national intelligence, security and public safety. What we do or do not do right here, right now, will have vast implications for generations to come.

Washington should be leading the way on this, but so far that's not happening. But hopefully, the new Congress can force some change. But for the past two years, the Trump administration has failed to take the dangers of AI seriously — literally turning a blind eye while lining their pockets with big tech dollars. Now meanwhile, these AI companies, people at the highest levels who are sounding the alarm themselves. But still that hasn't stopped these companies from racing ahead at breakneck speeds.

And while many AI developers say they'll move ahead responsibly, the stakes are just too high to take them at their word. States like New York must step up and hold them accountable, and it starts with gathering as much knowledge as possible about how these AI systems actually work.

And that brings me to today's exciting announcement. Today we're launching a first in the nation AI research institute. Housed at Binghamton University, the Center for AI Responsibility and Research will bring together roughly 80 elite scientists and researchers. They will harness the highest computing power anywhere outside the private sector, which we created with Empire AI.

Nobody can top this. And they'll independently test and analyze the world's most powerful AI systems. And I'm pleased to announce we've recruited two internationally renowned experts in computer science and cybersecurity to literally lead this effort. Greg Morrisett, the Dean of Cornell Tech, and Jeanette Wing, the Executive Vice President for Research at Columbia University, will both serve as interim directors.

They already have a vast amount of information and data to study, and soon they'll have even more. Because today, we're also opening our portal for large frontier AI developers. Under the RAISE Act, the AI safety law I signed last year, all AI frontier developers must register in that portal by January 1st.

Once we hit January, companies are mandated by law to comply with strict transparency standards, and will require them to disclose their safety protocols and report critical safety instances. Companies that don't play by the rules will face civil penalties. What the RAISE Act does — what this portal does is give us a line of sight, more visibility into the inner workings of these AI companies.

That means our new AI research institute and our newly launched digit office can scrutinize what these companies are doing and how they're doing it. In the coming weeks, I'll outline a variety of new ways to expand our AI safety laws so that when regulators and researchers spot a problem at these companies, there is concrete action we can take to safeguard New Yorkers.

Over and over again, the tech moguls tell us that their vision for AI is inevitable. They tell us, "Get on board or get left behind." They tell us they move fast and break things, and that any collateral damage is worth it as long as we win the race to the AI cliff. And they tell us that we have no say over the world being built and created for our own children. But today, once again, New York is showing the rest of the nation that we do have a say.

We're showing the rest of the nation that we can build a world where technology serves the public interest and not the other way around. Between our data center moratorium and our AI safety laws and this first of the kind research center, we're taking back control of our shared future and our right to shape AI's role in that future.

And let me tell you, when I think about that future, I feel a lot of hope. The incoming Congress will certainly restore some sanity to Washington. And when they start looking for ways to regulate AI, the first place they should look is New York because we're building a national model for smart, sensible AI regulation — a model that puts communities above corporations and people above powerful technology.

So let's work together. We owe it to ourselves and our fellow citizens, and ultimately our children. Now, I want to again take a moment to turn it over to our speaker. We've come a long way, and I could not be proud over the last years of working together with Tom. We have really positioned ourselves as the place people turn to for what the nation should be doing.

I hope and pray for a day in the not too distant future that Washington will take responsibility because, in fact, these should be national standards and ultimately someday global standards as we regulate them in a sensible way that does not stifle innovation but also allows us to have more control over concerns that we have.

So Tom is the genius behind this. I want to turn it over to Tom and thank him for all the work he has done as our Chair of Empire AI and his willingness to always strive for the next level, which is exactly what this is. Thank you, Tom.

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