Enforcement action · New York State Governor's Office
Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Expanding Historic Empire AI Consortium and Establishing Nation-Leading AI Protections for Responsible Growth as Part of the FY 2026 Budget
Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Expanding Historic Empire AI Consortium and Establishing Nation-Leading AI Protections for Responsible Growth as Part of the FY 2026 Budget is an AI-related enforcement action involving New York State Governor's Office. Governor Hochul signed legislation expanding the Empire AI consortium and enacting new laws for AI companion safety and prohibiting AI-generated child sexual abuse material in New York.
Action details
- Agency
- New York State Governor's Office
- Jurisdiction
- NY
- Document type
- press release
- Effective
- 2025-05-09
- AI risk category
- high
- Topic
- ai safety
Summary
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation as part of the FY26 budget to expand the Empire AI consortium with $90 million for increased computing power and new members, aiming to advance AI research for public good. The legislation also establishes "first-in-the-nation" safeguards for AI companion systems, requiring them to implement safety features, detect self-harm, refer users to crisis centers, and clearly disclose they are not human. Additionally, it modernizes penal law to treat AI-generated child sexual abuse material as child pornography, which is now considered binding law in New York.
Primary source
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-legislation-expanding-historic-empire-ai-consortium-and-establishing →Related New York State Governor's Office actions
- Grant Bauserman v. Unemployment Insurance Agency court opinion 7/26/2022
- Schlichter v. Kennedy court opinion 11/17/2025
- AG Campbell Reaches $7 Million Multistate Settlement with Nation's Largest Landlord for Anticompetitive Algorithmic Pricing Scheme that Harms Renters enforcement action 11/19/2025
- City of Boston, on behalf of Boston Public Schools, v. Meta and other social media companies agency report 7/8/2026
- [ESMA] The ESAs support ESRB warning on systemic cyber risks from frontier AI models press release
Frequently asked questions
- What is Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Expanding Historic Empire AI Consortium and Establishing Nation-Leading AI Protections for Responsible Growth as Part of the FY 2026 Budget?
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation as part of the FY26 budget to expand the Empire AI consortium with $90 million for increased computing power and new members, aiming to advance AI research for public good. The legislation also establishes "first-in-the-nation" safeguards for AI companion systems, requiring them to implement safety features, detect self-harm, refer users to crisis centers, and clearly disclose they are not human. Additionally, it modernizes penal law to treat AI-generated child sexual abuse material as child pornography, which is now considered binding law in New York. Primary source →
- Which agency brought the action?
- New York State Governor's Office brought this enforcement action in NY. Primary source →
- What was the penalty?
- No specific penalty amount is disclosed in the primary source AIGI tracked for this action. Some enforcement actions resolve through injunctive relief, consent decrees, or behavioural undertakings rather than monetary penalty. Primary source →
- When did the action take effect?
- The action was effective 2025-05-09. Primary source →
- Where can I find the primary source?
- The primary source for Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Expanding Historic Empire AI Consortium and Establishing Nation-Leading AI Protections for Responsible Growth as Part of the FY 2026 Budget is at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-legislation-expanding-historic-empire-ai-consortium-and-establishing. AIGI does not paraphrase secondary commentary — every claim on this page links back to that primary source. Primary source →
Related
Stay informed