New York opens RAISE Act portal for OpenAI, Anthropic and other large AI labs
New York opened a registration portal on Tuesday for large frontier AI developers. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI will be required to register by January 1, 2027. The RAISE Act, the state's safety and transparency law, kicks in at the start of that year.
The law applies to large frontier developers, defined as companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue. They have to publish safety frameworks on their websites, report critical safety incidents within 72 hours, and issue public model transparency reports.
A newly formed state body, the Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT), will implement the act and oversee large frontier AI labs. Penalties can be as high as $1 million for one violation and $3 million for subsequent violations. The state can also bring enforcement actions against companies that fail to register with the portal, though a spokesperson declined to give specifics.
On the same day, Governor Kathy Hochul launched the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research, based at State University of New York's Binghamton University. The center will independently evaluate the safety, security and operation of advanced AI systems and work with DIGIT to review companies' safety frameworks. Hochul first announced it in January with $55 million in donations and capital.
At a press briefing Hochul said: "Tech moguls tell us that their vision for AI is 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 added that New York is building a national model for AI regulation that puts communities above corporations and people above powerful technology.
The RAISE Act is not New York's only AI safety law. Last year the state began enforcing a law requiring AI companion operators to regularly tell 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, which restricts deceptive human-like interactions, emotionally manipulative or sycophantic responses, and encouragement of behaviors like suicide or disordered eating. It takes effect June 1, 2027.
Other states have passed similar laws. California's SB 53, in effect since January, requires frontier AI labs to have and publish safety frameworks, enact whistleblower protections, and report critical safety incidents within 15 days. Illinois' SB 315 takes effect at the start of 2027 with similar requirements, plus independent safety compliance audits.
Key facts
- New York's registration portal opened Tuesday; large frontier AI developers like Anthropic and OpenAI must register by January 1, 2027.
- The RAISE Act covers companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue and requires published safety frameworks, critical incident reports within 72 hours, and public model transparency reports.
- Penalties can be as high as $1 million for one violation and $3 million for subsequent violations; the new DIGIT office will oversee large labs.
- Governor Kathy Hochul also launched the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research at Binghamton University, first announced in January with $55 million in donations and capital.
- California's SB 53 sets a 15-day incident reporting window; Illinois' SB 315 starts in 2027 and adds independent compliance audits.
Why it matters
The article calls the RAISE Act one of the country's most significant AI safety laws, and the portal is the first concrete step toward enforcing it. New York's rules sit alongside California's SB 53, in effect since January, and Illinois' SB 315, which starts in 2027. The New York deadline for reporting critical safety incidents is 72 hours, against 15 days in California's law. Hochul presents the package as a national model for AI regulation.
Who it affects
Large frontier developers, defined as companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue. Anthropic and OpenAI are named as examples. Beyond that revenue definition, the article does not list other companies that must register. The new DIGIT office and the Binghamton-based research center take on oversight and evaluation roles.
How to use it
For covered developers, the requirements are concrete: register in the new state portal by January 1, 2027, publish safety frameworks on the company website, report critical safety incidents within 72 hours, and issue public model transparency reports. The research center will review safety frameworks together with DIGIT.
How solid is it
The facts come from a TechCrunch report on the state's Tuesday announcements and Hochul's press briefing. Dates, thresholds, deadlines and penalty ceilings are stated plainly. Enforcement details are not: a spokesperson declined to give specifics on action against companies that fail to register.
Risks and caveats
The article does not say whether Anthropic, OpenAI or any other company has registered, or how they responded. It does not say what enforcement looks like for a missed registration, or whether the $1 million and $3 million penalties apply per day, per incident or otherwise beyond "one violation" and "subsequent violations". The penalty figures are ceilings ("as high as"), not fixed amounts.
“We’re building a national model for smart, sensible AI regulation, a model that puts communities above corporations and people above powerful technology”
— Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York