New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is launching a new office to monitor safety compliance for massive artificial intelligence companies, echoing calls by fellow Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom to explore a “kill switch” if the technology turns catastrophic.
Hochul said Monday she tapped Marc Gilman, an attorney at the Department of Financial Services, to oversee the state’s new Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust office, created by the RAISE Act the governor signed in December 2025. The state law mandates developers follow certain AI safety standards, which are among the strongest restrictions in the US on large AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Hochul said she wants New York to go further than the legislation, and said future protections against AI could include “safeguards like AI kill switches if they’re deemed feasible and in the best interests of our state.”
She called the resistance from President Donald Trump’s administration to regulate AI nationally “an abdication of responsibility of epic proportions,” adding that states must fill the void.
Hochul joins Newsom in floating a kill switch idea, though details of how such a mechanism would work are unclear. On Friday, Newsom signed an executive order proposing, in part, that companies must implement an emergency shutoff if AI models go rogue.
New York’s RAISE Act mirrors legislation in California in setting some of the strongest restrictions on the largest AI companies to report critical safety incidents. It calls for large developers to register with the state and comply with transparency and incident reporting standards.
Developers must register in November, and compliance enforcement will begin in January. They will report to the DIGIT office and publish their safety protocols. They must also report any critical incidents within 72 hours or face civil penalties.
Gilman, a technology attorney who previously served as general counsel and vice president of compliance at the software company Theta Lake, “understands what the big lawyers at the firms will be saying,” Hochul said during a press conference. “He knows how to make sure they’re staying in line.”
Photo: New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference in New York on Sept. 21.
Topics
InsurTech
Data Driven
Artificial Intelligence
New York
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