Gov. Hochul is a power player in AI

We are living in a period of significant technological and economic change. Throughout history, moments like these have been defined by those who recognize opportunities and step up to meet challenges, meeting them head on.

Over the past two years, Governor Hochul has uniquely demonstrated this foresight and political courage, positioning New York as an international leader in AI. By signing the RAISE Act last month, she established a de facto national regulatory framework for the largest AI developers. It has invested significantly in future scientific discoveries using AI, funding the nation’s first academic supercomputer that will power cutting-edge academic research. It also invested directly in the next generation of AI leaders, committing $5 million to create AI and society departments on eight SUNY campuses.

When first proposed, the RAISE Act had a good premise, but the specific provisions of that earlier version would have made New York by far the most difficult place to develop LLMs. Meanwhile, California passed a similar but different law imposing significant transparency requirements on the same companies.

All of this happened against the backdrop of President Trump’s executive order to prevent states from passing laws regulating AI. We do not believe that states should abdicate their duty to regulate within their own borders, but we share the sentiment that a patchwork of regulations will greatly harm America’s greatest export: innovation.

Hochul understood this and saw that New York’s best interests were clearly aligned with those of the nation. She led the campaign to amend New York’s bill to closely align with California’s framework, establishing a national standard for AI safety. With clear guidelines, businesses can continue to experiment and grow while prioritizing the security of our country and that of our citizens.

The businesses that will be regulated by this bill obviously don’t like it. And neither will the AI ​​skeptics who fought hardest for it. We believe that it is precisely this kind of compromise that will advance AI development in a reasonable, efficient, and safe manner, right here in New York and across the country.

This was not the first time Hochul demonstrated critical national leadership on AI. In the 2024 budget, it funded a groundbreaking public-private partnership called Empire AI, an independent consortium of New York’s leading public and private academic institutions and philanthropic funders. Together, they are building a high-performance computer, the first in the country, that will give university researchers access to computing power previously only available in the private sector. In 2025, it increased funding to include additional institutions and further develop Empire AI.

Empire AI is already strengthening the state’s research ecosystem and has the potential to generate billions of dollars in long-term economic value as it continues to grow. The shared supercomputing resources provided by Empire AI – historically available only to the largest technology companies – significantly accelerate research timelines, attract talent and drive job-creating investments in Buffalo and across the state.

At the same time – and this is no coincidence – AI continues to be an economic driver. New York City’s technology sector is one of the city’s most powerful economic engines, powering a $694 billion ecosystem of more than 25,000 startups and generating growth faster than any other major sector. Over the past decade, technology has grown 64 percent, created more than 114,000 jobs, and accounted for about 40 percent of the city’s net job growth since 2019. Backed by nearly $180 billion in venture capital and rapid growth in AI, fintech, and health tech, the sector is expanding New York’s tax base, attracting top talent, and fueling long-term economic growth.

This progress also comes with real challenges. Our workforce will be impacted and our education system will need to change dramatically. That’s why making AI proficiency a statewide priority in 2026 across K-12, higher education, community organizations, and workforce training is critical to ensuring New Yorkers can adapt, compete, and thrive in an AI-driven economy. Additionally, we should build on the wave of sensible policymaking in 2026 to finally establish comprehensive consumer data privacy protections that bring New York in line with 20 other states.

Moments of technological transformation require bold leadership, and we applaud Hochul for positioning New York as a hotbed for responsible and effective AI growth. Thanks to it, we are about to see what will happen when the private sector, government, and academic institutions work together to chart a responsible path for the growth of the AI ​​economy. New York is on the right track.

Samuels is the president and CEO of Tech:NYC.