New York's landmark AI safety bill was defanged - and universities were part of the push against it

"A group of tech companies and academic institutions spent tens of thousands of dollars in the past month - likely between $17,000 and $25,000 - on an ad campaign against New York's landmark AI safety bill, which may have reached more than two million people, according to Meta's Ad Library. The landmark bill is called the RAISE Act, or the Responsible AI Safety and Education Act, and days ago, a version of it was signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul."

"The closely watched law dictates that AI companies developing large models - OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, DeepSeek, etc. - must outline safety plans and transparency rules for reporting large-scale safety incidents to the attorney general. But the version Hochul signed - different than the one passed in both the New York State Senate and the Assembly in June - was a rewrite that made it much more favorable to tech companies."

Tech companies and academic institutions spent an estimated $17,000 to $25,000 on an ad campaign opposing New York's RAISE Act, potentially reaching over two million people. The RAISE Act requires developers of large AI models to outline safety plans and create transparency rules for reporting large-scale safety incidents to the attorney general. Governor Kathy Hochul signed a version of the bill that was rewritten and became more favorable to tech companies than the versions passed by the State Senate and Assembly in June. More than 150 parents urged the governor to sign the bill without changes.

Read at The Verge