Editorial illustration for NY AI Safety Bill Weakens as Universities Embrace Tech Industry Partnerships
NY AI Safety Bill Crumbles as Universities Court Tech Giants
NY AI safety bill defanged as NYU, Dartmouth back industry ties
New York’s RAISE Act started with a clear threshold: developers could not release a frontier AI model if it risked killing 100 people, causing a billion dollars in damage, or committing autonomous crimes. That version is gone. Governor Kathy Hochul signed a weakened bill this week after a lobbying push from an industry-aligned coalition. The changes include extended disclosure deadlines, lower fines, and a broader definition of the “critical harm” the law seeks to prevent.
In 2023, OpenAI funded a journalism ethics initiative at NYU. Dartmouth announced a partnership with Anthropic earlier this month, a Carnegie Mellon University professor currently serves on OpenAI's board, and Anthropic has funded programs at Carnegie Mellon. The initial version of the RAISE Act stated that developers must not release a frontier model "if doing so would create an unreasonable risk of critical harm," which the bill defines as the death or serious injury of 100 people or more, or $1 billion or more in damages to rights in money or property stemming from the creation of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapon.
That definition also extends to an AI model that "acts with no meaningful human intervention" and "would, if committed by a human," fall under certain crimes. Hochul also increased the deadline for disclosure for safety incidents and lessened fines, among other changes. The AI Alliance has lobbied previously against AI safety policies, including the RAISE Act, California's SB 1047, and President Biden's AI executive order.
It states that its mission is to "bring together builders and experts from various fields to collaboratively and transparently address the challenges of generative AI and democratize its benefits," especially via "member-driven working groups." Some of the group's projects beyond lobbying have involved cataloguing and managing "trustworthy" datasets and creating a ranked list of AI safety priorities. The AI Alliance wasn't the only organization opposing the RAISE Act with ad dollars. As The Verge wrote recently, Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC backed by Perplexity AI, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale, and OpenAI president Greg Brockman, has spent money on ads targeting the cosponsor of the RAISE Act, New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores.
The final law reflects the influence of groups like the AI Alliance and the super PAC Leading the Future, which ran ads against the bill’s co-sponsor. It also follows financial ties between major AI labs and institutions like NYU, Dartmouth, and Carnegie Mellon. Carnegie Mellon professor Zachary Lipton sits on the OpenAI board. The result is a safety regime with softer penalties and more time for companies to report problems, a shift from the original proposal’s hard limits.
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Common Questions Answered
How are universities influencing the NY AI Safety Bill (RAISE Act)?
Universities are strategically aligning with tech companies through partnerships and funding arrangements, which appear to be softening the original strict regulatory framework of the RAISE Act. These collaborations, such as NYU's partnership with OpenAI and Dartmouth's with Anthropic, are potentially undermining independent AI safety oversight efforts.
What specific partnerships demonstrate the tech industry's influence on academic institutions?
Several notable partnerships highlight the growing connection between tech companies and universities, including OpenAI funding a journalism ethics initiative at NYU and Dartmouth announcing a partnership with Anthropic. Additionally, a Carnegie Mellon University professor currently serves on OpenAI's board, and Anthropic has funded programs at Carnegie Mellon.
What was the original intent of the RAISE Act's language about AI model release?
The initial version of the RAISE Act proposed that developers must not release a frontier AI model if doing so would create an unreasonable risk of critical harm, which was specifically defined as potential death or serious injury to 100 or more people. This language suggested a stringent approach to AI safety regulation before the bill began to soften under academic and industry pressure.
Further Reading
- Hochul enacts New York's AI safety and transparency bill — IAPP
- Hochul signs watered down AI regs, but lawmakers still got some wins — City & State NY
- The RAISE Act: New York joins California in requiring developer transparency for large AI models — DLA Piper
- New York's New AI Law Creates Oversight Office, Standards — GovTech
