Under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York state government agencies will be required to conduct reviews and publish reports detailing how they use artificial intelligence software.
Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill into law last week after state lawmakers passed it earlier this year.
The law requires state agencies to conduct reviews of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or artificial intelligence techniques and then report those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online.
It also prohibits the use of artificial intelligence in certain situations, such as making automated decisions about whether a person will receive unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is constantly monitored by a human.
Amid rapid global advancements and adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, the federal government has invested millions to combine the minds of three existing institutes into one that can monitor potential threats in the future.
The law protects employees from having their working hours reduced due to artificial intelligence
Government employees would also be protected from having their hours or job duties reduced under the law due to AI, addressing the main concerns expressed by critics about generative AI.
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in establishing barriers to the use of emerging technology in state government.
Experts have long called for greater regulation of generative AI as the technology becomes more widespread.
The biggest concerns raised by critics, apart from job security, include concerns about the security of personal data and the fact that artificial intelligence may amplify disinformation due to its tendency to invent facts, repeat false statements and the ability to create close to photorealistic images based on prompts. .