New York Establishes AI Safety Research Center to Pave the Way for RAISE Act Implementation

New York Launches AI Safety Research Center

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on November 10, 2026, the establishment of the New York AI Responsibility and Research Center, to be located at Binghamton University, State University of New York. The center will bring together more than 80 researchers from across the state, with a mission encompassing independent testing, foundational research, and AI safety talent development. First proposed in January of this year, the center is funded by a $30 million donation led by Bloomberg co-founder Tom Secunda, an initial $25 million research investment from SUNY, and state operating appropriations. Computing power will be provided by Empire AI, a $500 million public-private partnership. Greg Morrisett, dean of Cornell Tech, and Jeannette Wing, executive vice president for research at Columbia University, will serve as interim co-directors.

Alignment with RAISE Act Implementation

The center's work will dovetail with the implementation of the RAISE Act, which takes effect on January 1, 2027. Hochul's office also announced an online registration portal operated by the DIGIT Office. Recruitment areas include formal methods and verification, agentic and complex systems, hardware security and privacy, and interpretability and alignment. Wing told Politico that new methods are needed for novel systems in which large numbers of autonomous agents act independently and without control.

Political Context and State-Level Momentum

The move comes one week after the midterm elections. According to AP voter surveys, about six in ten voters believe AI does more harm than good to society, but only about a quarter consider it a key voting factor. With federal reliance on voluntary safeguards and no legislation from Congress, states such as New York and California are advancing binding requirements.

Source: https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/new-york-launches-ai-safety-center-ahead-of-raise-act-deadline/