Sen. Gounardes & AM Bores: Sam Altman is Right—We Must Pass the RAISE Act to Prevent AI-Generated Bioweapons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 31, 2025

New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Alex Bores issued the following statement in response to comments by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, who warned that AI’s ability to create biothreats is becoming "quite significant," and that despite his attempts to “flash the warning lights” on safety risks, “the world is not taking us seriously":

“Sam Altman is right: the time to regulate AI to prevent catastrophe is now. We take these safety threats incredibly seriously, which is exactly why we introduced the RAISE Act. Over and over, the people who know AI best—developers, scientists, international bodies, the literal godfathers of AI—keep flashing the warning lights about the risk of unchecked AI to conduct devastating cyberattacks, produce bioweapons, or commit severe financial crimes.

“That hasn’t stopped Big Tech and venture capitalists from spending big money on a disinformation campaign to kill our commonsense safety requirements. They’re working overtime to confuse and misinform the public and lawmakers about our bill. But there’s no need to spin the RAISE Act—Altman and other AI leaders are making the case for us.”

Background:

While AI drives tremendous innovation across New York—from healthcare to climate solutions—there is growing consensus among experts that the policy window to address severe risks may close soon. One recent report warned that "the opportunity to establish effective AI governance frameworks may not remain open indefinitely."

The International AI Safety Report—led by a panel of expert advisors from 30 countries—has warned that near-future AI systems may result in “large-scale labour market impacts, AI-enabled hacking or biological attacks, and society losing control over general-purpose AI,” among other potential risks to public safety.

The Responsible AI Safety and Education Act (RAISE) Act (S6953/A6453) requires the largest AI companies to create basic safety and security protocols for severe risks such as the assisting in the creation of bioweapons or carrying out automated criminal activity. The bill has passed both houses of the New York State Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

Anna Myers

Chief of Staff

Assemblymember Alex Bores

anna@alexbores.nyc

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