OpEd: As Westchester Embraces AI, RAISE Act Threatens to Hold Us Back

By John Ravitz

Earlier this summer, New York launched what may be one of the most important tech infrastructure investments the Empire State will ever make. In June, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $40 million in funding to launch Empire AI Beta, a supercomputer housed at the University of Buffalo that will give researchers unprecedented access to study AI technology and its benefits. This investment and the latest expansion of funding for the state’s historic Empire AI investment program secured in May makes one thing abundantly clear: New York is not just participating in the AI race –– the state intends to lead it.

Thanks to the Hochul administration’s leadership, we are already well on our way. We have become one of the most critical AI hubs in the country, with over 9,000 startups—450 of which are dedicated AI companies. Through the public-private partnerships that make up the Empire AI consortium, we’ve also seen historic investments from established industry leaders who recognize New York’s readiness to lead because of our combination of talent, access to capital, widespread cross-sector adoption, and academic investment in the next generation of the AI talent pool.

While much of the investment and initial economic activity has been centered around the New York City metropolitan area, the AI revolution that is transforming industries is not limited to the five boroughs. As we’ve seen in Westchester County, businesses of all sizes, as diverse as dental offices, PR firms, and IT shops, have recognized how AI can support their work and are finding ways to integrate it into their daily operations. At the same time, our local universities, such as Iona, Pace, and Mercy, equip students with the AI skillset essential to harnessing AI and advancing its development when they enter the workforce.

As Westchester County’s largest business organization, representing over 1,000 members the Business Council of Westchester (BCW), has seen this transformative impact firsthand. The BCW’s AI Alliance 360º program has enabled us to work with several local businesses to share best practices with the rest of the community, ensuring that no one is left behind as AI boosts the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies statewide. As this momentum builds, so does concern that well-intentioned but overly broad regulations could stop businesses from exploring AI in their tracks.

Unfortunately, those fears could soon be made a reality. With the state legislature’s recent passage of the RAISE Act, New Yorkers who develop and use AI could soon be impacted by broad legal mandates that threaten to chill innovation across the state. Models that power the AI applications for industries as varied as healthcare and agriculture would be subject to new litigation concerns over ill-defined misuses, creating a climate of legal uncertainty that could drive developers out of state. If development slows, so will the progress of the tools New Yorkers increasingly rely on, hindering growth, productivity, innovation, and competitiveness across industries statewide.

Policies like these mean well, but the reality they would introduce is not one that New Yorkers want. In recognizing this, Governor Hochul should carefully consider the repercussions and reject the RAISE Act. Let’s maintain the balanced, innovation-friendly environment that has gotten us so far already.

John Ravitz, a former New York State Assemblymember, is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer at the Business Council of Westchester.