New York lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require news organizations to disclose when artificial intelligence is used in published content, mandate human review before publication and protect journalist sources from AI access, City and State NY reported on Monday.
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Key Takeaways
- NY lawmakers introduced the FAIR News Act for AI-use disclosure in journalism.
- WGA East, SAG-AFTRA, DGA, NewsGuild and NY State AFL-CIO all endorsed it.
- If passed, it would set the strongest US AI-transparency standard for news.
The New York Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements in News Act (NY FAIR News Act), introduced by State Senator Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-NYC), has won endorsements from the Writers Guild of America East, SAG-AFTRA, Directors Guild of America, NewsGuild of New York and New York State AFL-CIO.
What the legislation requires
Under the proposed law, news organizations operating in New York must:
- Clearly disclose when AI is used in any published news content
- Ensure all AI-generated stories, articles, audio, visuals or images are reviewed by a human employee with editorial control before publication
- Fully disclose to journalists and media professionals how and when AI is used in the workplace
- Establish safeguards to protect confidential sources and materials from AI system access
The bill (S.8451/A.8962-A) has been referred to the NYS Senate’s Internet and Technology Committee. It must pass both the state Senate and Assembly and be signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to become law.
Industry support
NewsGuild of New York president Susan DeCarava said the legislation would “safeguard the public’s right to know what is being done in their name” and is “necessary to protect and expand the public’s trust, built by media workers across the country and in our union, in human-powered journalism.”
WGA East president Tom Fontana warned that AI presents a “clear and demonstrable threat to the integrity of the news” and said the legislation would require “cooperation between news media companies and the highly skilled human workers they employee to uphold journalistic standards and workplace protections.”
SAG-AFTRA chief labor policy officer Rebecca Damon called the legislation a “meaningful, enforceable protection for both journalists and consumers of news media” that would “maintain the integrity of journalism, and help ensure that AI technology is a tool that serves the people who report the news to the public, not one that replaces or exploits them.”
DGA associate national executive director Neil Dudich said the NY FAIR News Act “puts media professionals at the center of the conversation about how AI will be used in newsrooms” and establishes “clear guardrails that protect workers’ rights and their professional judgment.”
Why it matters
According to the National Association of Broadcasters, more than 76% of Americans are concerned about AI stealing or reproducing journalism and local news stories. Senator Fahy said journalism is “one of the industries at most risk from the use of artificial intelligence” and that public trust in accurate news reporting is therefore also at risk.
“To protect the public’s trust in reporting and the news they read every day and the journalists who do the work, I’m proud to introduce the NY FAIR News Act,” Fahy said.
Assemblywoman Rozic emphasized New York’s central role in the news industry: “At the center of the news industry, New York has a strong interest in preserving journalism and protecting the workers who produce it. The NY FAIR News Act promotes journalistic integrity and ensures total AI disclosure to journalists, workers, and the public alike.”
The legislation comes during a critical election year as news organizations increasingly experiment with AI tools for content creation and distribution.
