New York Bill Would Require AI Labels On News Content.

New York lawmakers have introduced legislation that would impose new disclosure, oversight, and labor protections on the use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms.

State Senator Patricia Fahy and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic have introduced a bill that would amend state law to regulate how generative AI can be used in the creation of news content across broadcast, podcast, print, digital, and other media formats. The proposed Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements in News Act, known as the New York FAIR News Act, (S.8451/A.8962-A) would require clear disclaimers when AI is used in any published news content. The bill would also mandate that news organizations operating in New York fully disclose how and when AI is used in the workplace. That includes a requirement that all news stories, audio, visuals or images created by AI be first reviewed by a human employee with editorial control before publication to the public. The bill also establishes safeguards to protect journalist sources and confidential materials from being accessed by an AI system.

“Perhaps one of the industries at most risk from the use of artificial intelligence is journalism and as a result, the public’s trust and confidence in accurate news reporting,” said Fahy, a Democrat from Albany. She believes disclosures are needed in order to protect the public’s trust in reporting and the journalists who do the work.

The proposed legislation doesn’t dictate what the AI disclosure would say, only that — in the case of audio — it be shared with listeners at the start of the report that such content was substantially created by AI. For written journalism, the disclosures would need to be conspicuous.

“At the center of the news industry, New York has a strong interest in preserving journalism and protecting the workers who produce it,” said Rozic, a Democrat from Queens.

New York’s proposed FAIR News Act doesn’t yet have support by broadcast owners or other content publishers. But it has been endorsed by a broad coalition of unions representing workers throughout the state’s news media sector. They are embracing bill provisions that prohibit the use of AI systems in ways that result in job displacement, reductions in hours or wages, or the erosion of existing collective bargaining agreements. The measure also adds new safeguards to protect confidential sources and journalistic materials from being accessed by artificial intelligence systems.

Tom Fontana, President of the Writers Guild of America-East, which represents workers at radio stations and podcast companies, says the proposal recognizes that AI may be used in newsrooms — but also presents a “clear and demonstrable threat” to the integrity of the news. “Rather than let this nascent technology run wild, especially in a critical election year, the bill mandates cooperation between news media companies and the highly skilled human workers they employee to uphold journalistic standards and workplace protections,” said Fontana.

SAG-AFTRA, the union that also reps radio employees, is also backing the proposal. Rebecca Damon, SAG-AFTRA’s New York Local Executive Director, says AI may be a useful tool to help journalists do their jobs, but it shouldn’t be allowed to replace them. “This is a meaningful, enforceable protection for both journalists and consumers of news media,” she said.

The proposal is also supported by the New York State AFL-CIO, Directors Guild of America. and the NewsGuild of New York. If enacted, the bill would take effect 60 days after becoming law, setting one of the most comprehensive state-level frameworks to date governing artificial intelligence in journalism.