Landmark law requires safety protocols and incident reporting from the most powerful AI companies.

Design It For Us Co-Chair Zamaan Qureshi released the following statement:

“We are thrilled that Governor Hochul has chosen to stand up for New York’s young people and residents by signing the RAISE Act into law. This is a critical step to protect young people and the public as powerful AI products rapidly change our lives.

“Despite Big Tech’s intense lobbying campaign, New Yorkers made their voices heard, and we applaud Governor Hochul for heading those calls. For too long, policymakers have been forced to respond to harm after it occurs. The RAISE Act changes that by establishing basic transparency and accountability for companies building the most powerful AI models, including the requirement of safety protocols, incident reporting, and enforceable oversight before damage is done. This is the first step to learning from a decade of missed warning signs with social media.

“New York goes further than California, becoming the second state in the nation to take action on this issue and the first to enact the strongest AI safety legislation in the country. New York is once again showing that states can lead where Congress has failed to act. This law sends a clear message that innovation does not have to come at the expense of safety, transparency, or young people’s futures.

“This victory was made possible by a broad coalition of youth advocates, parents, survivors, and public-interest organizations who have been sounding the alarm and pushing for real safeguards. Young people helped drive this momentum, and today, their voices were heard. We are grateful to Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Bores for their leadership on this critical bill, and we look forward to continuing the fight for strong AI protections nationwide. ”

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Background:

  • Design It For Us co-led a rally and lobby day with Encode AI in June in support of the RAISE Act, which helped ensure the bill advanced out of a key committee and got a final vote. Our advocates spoke at a press conference alongside the bill leaders of the RAISE Act.
  • Design It For Us co-led an organizational sign-on letter with Encode AI from over 20 prominent youth online safety organizations, urging Governor Hochul to sign the RAISE Act into law.
  • Design It For Us Program Lead Matthew Stevens co-authored an op-ed alongside Young People’s Alliance Columbia Chapter Leader Kate Francke in the Buffalo News, urging Governor Hochul to sign the RAISE Act into law.
  • Design It For Us directed hundreds of emails from New Yorkers to Governor Hochul, urging her to sign the RAISE Act into law.

About Design It For Us

Design It For Us is a youth-led coalition of young people, activists, and leaders that aims to achieve policy reforms to protect kids, teens, and young adults online. The coalition is led by two Co-Chairs and a team of Program Leads between the ages of 18 and 26. The coalition is also supported by an array of youth-led organizations, staff, and advisors.