New York Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a statewide artificial intelligence research and safety testing initiative on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research is based at the State University of New York, Binghamton. It aims to build independent technical expertise to scrutinize powerful AI systems as the state prepares to implement its RAISE Act in January.
The center will bring together more than 80 scientists from institutions across the state. Its mission combines independent testing, foundational research and training for a new generation of AI safety specialists. The announcement comes one week after midterm elections highlighted public anxiety about AI. About six in 10 voters said the technology would do more to hurt society, according to the AP Voter Poll.
Funding and Leadership Structure
Hochul first announced the center in January. Its funding includes a $30 million philanthropic gift from donors led by Tom Secunda, co-founder of Bloomberg and a Binghamton alumnus. The state also provided an initial $25 million SUNY research investment and operating support. Researchers will use computing resources from Empire AI, New York’s $500 million public-private initiative.
Cornell Tech Dean and Vice Provost Greg Morrisett and Columbia University Executive Vice President for Research Jeannette Wing will serve as interim co-directors. Participating researchers will continue working at their home institutions. Their agenda includes developing tools, measurements and standards for evaluating increasingly capable systems. They will examine whether those systems behave as intended and assess their safety and security risks.
An initial recruiting drive will target experts focused on foundational limits and mathematical theory, formal methods and verification, agentic and complex systems, hardware security and privacy, interpretability and alignment, and scientific AI and biosecurity.
RAISE Act Implementation and Oversight
The center’s work will connect directly with implementation of the RAISE Act, which takes effect Jan. 1. Hochul’s office also announced an online registration portal administered by the Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust, known as DIGIT. Large frontier AI developers operating in New York must register by Jan. 1 and begin publishing safety frameworks on their websites in January.
Frontier developers also face requirements to publish model transparency reports and report critical safety incidents within 72 hours. At the state’s request, the center can provide expertise, assessments and evidence to inform oversight. It will coordinate with DIGIT to review developers’ published safety frameworks and recommend ways to strengthen requirements.
That arrangement could give regulators an independent basis for evaluating companies’ safety claims and identifying shortcomings in their disclosed safeguards. The center’s remit also includes supporting responsible AI applications in medicine, scientific research and critical infrastructure.
Its reach will have limits. Researchers will have access to publicly disclosed information, while companies’ internal models under development remain private. The initiative strengthens the state’s ability to assess available evidence without ensuring visibility into every emerging risk. Hochul’s office said it will explore additional ways to strengthen New York’s AI safety laws and regulations in the coming months.
Source: PYMNTS
