Assemblymember Alex Bores, who departs office at the end of the year following a failed congressional bid, cautioned Tuesday that artificial intelligence poses a severe danger to New York’s ability to draft legislation before Sacramento does. The outgoing Democrat called for a special legislative session in Albany to confront the rapidly advancing technology before another time zone claims the regulatory spotlight.
Backed by a newly launched $30 million advocacy group designed to shape the party's technology platform, Bores circulated a memo to committee members emphasizing that the window to rein in generative models is closing precisely on December 31, his final day in the Assembly. According to the document, the state faces unprecedented risks if it allows West Coast lawmakers to unilaterally dictate how Silicon Valley ignores state mandates.
If we do not convene a special session immediately, millions of New Yorkers will be forced to live under algorithmic consumer protections drafted by people who say 'hella,' which is a fate worse than biometric surveillance.
According to legislative records, Bores's push follows a bruising primary season in which the tech industry spent heavily to thwart his bid for federal office, leaving state-level oversight as his final available avenue to secure a national legacy. Sources close to the caucus noted that the assemblyman has spent recent closed-door meetings warning colleagues about the unchecked dangers of deepfakes, autonomous weapons, and letting Governor Gavin Newsom hold a press conference on the issue.
Draft provisions of the proposed Albany framework would implement strict guardrails on machine learning, requiring top tech executives to submit to binding oversight and testify before Bores at least three times before he is forced to transition to a private-sector consulting role in January.