Technology

Bill A 4944 prohibits individuals from operating uncrewed aircraft, such as drones, over school grounds or specific critical infrastructure facilities in New York. It bans drones from hovering or remaining above these areas at altitudes below 250 feet, or from making contact with anything within their boundaries. Critical infrastructure includes fenced or clearly marked facilities like power plants, refineries, and water treatment plants. Exceptions apply to government agencies, law enforcement, or those with prior written consent, as well as drones continuously flying through at 250 feet or higher. Violations can result in misdemeanor charges.

Regulates automated decision-making by government agencies; requires agencies to conduct impact assessments; requires disclosure of automated decision-making tools utilized by governmental agencies.

Aligns state and local procurement laws with federal law prohibiting the procurement of certain information and communications technology and electronic parts or products which are determined to pose a risk to state and national security.

The RAISE Act establishes safety requirements for developers of powerful artificial intelligence models, known as "frontier models." A frontier model is defined as one trained with over 10^26 computational operations (costing more than $100 million) or a distilled version costing over $5 million. Large developers must implement documented safety protocols to prevent "critical harm," defined as events causing death, serious injury to 100+ people, or $1 billion in damages from AI misuse. The bill also defines key terms like "safety incident" and outlines remedies for violations, focusing on risk mitigation rather than restricting AI development.

S 804 amends New York's data breach notification law to clarify when and how financial institutions must notify the Department of Financial Services (DFS) after a breach affecting New York residents. It requires covered financial institutions (as defined by current DFS rules) to provide DFS with details about the breach - including timing, content, and number of affected people - without delaying direct notifications to consumers. The bill specifies that this notification to DFS is only mandatory for financial institutions, not all businesses, and must follow existing DFS reporting rules (23 NYCRR 500.17). The law, signed as Chapter 91 on February 14, 2025, streamlines reporting for regulated financial entities while maintaining direct consumer notification timelines.