Governor Hochul: “What if AI could be harnessed for public good and leave behind a fairer, healthier, more efficient society for our children to inherit? Now we know the countless ways that AI can change the world, it already is. It can tackle food insecurity. It can help us develop new therapies for cancer. It can modernize and equalize our healthcare system and even predict dangerous storms.”

Hochul: “We’re going to continue using these technologies; creating jobs in Upstate, rural areas. Instead of blight and neglect, I’m building supercomputers, companies, innovators. And I know that the decisions we make and the agenda we pursue will define that landscape for generations to come.”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the AI Summit New York to highlight New York’s leadership on responsible AI growth.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much. After all that, I'm also the first Governor of the State to fully embrace AI, so put that on my resume as well. I'm so happy to welcome you. Welcome to the city that is the home of the most creative, the most ambitious innovators, the dreamers and the doers and what I'm proud to call the tech talent capital of the world.

Now, whether you're a New Yorker or a New Yorker wannabe, everybody's one or the other, you all understand that the guiding principle of this conference, of this gathering, is so critically important. We all agree, as I said in my State of the State address last year, AI is the future and the future is now.

And I want to thank Tricia Martínez, the Managing Director of TechStars AI. And I have my own New York State Chief Information Officer, Dru Rai, here as well. Dru, take a bow. And I want to thank all the organizers of this. Yeah, give him a special round of applause. All of our sponsors, especially IBM. I was at the expansion of your offices a short time ago - extraordinary.

Well, let me say this. It was almost two months ago to the day where I went to Upstate New York, the University of Buffalo, the University at Albany to announce that New York State has taken the first steps of the longest strides of any state in the nation into a tomorrow that is defined by possibility. I unveiled two supercomputers, more powerful than had ever been in public hands in the history of this great country.

And as I saw those massive boxes begin to hum and whirl, I knew that New York had shown the world that when it comes to the AI revolution, we fully intend to lead the way. Now, I don't need to tell the people in this room what AI can do, what it can deliver, but I do want to tell you how the great State of New York intends to harness it.

Last January, when I unveiled my State of the State address, I announced a new consortium, an ambition faster than anyone anticipated, something we call Empire AI, unlike any project in our entire nation. It is a 10-year, $400 million partnership between the State of New York, the private sector and our academic institutions.

Not only to stand at the forefront of AI innovation, but to do something spectacular, set a model of how AI could be used for public good. Now, until those supercomputers came online, that technology that advanced had largely been concentrated only in the hands of the mega corporations, many of them represented here today - Google, Microsoft, IBM, OpenAI.

I know you all want to improve the world, and I expect you to, and that's great. But there's also a profit motive behind it, right? It's fine, it's capitalism. But with Empire AI, I asked a question that we hope the industry and other states will ask as well. What if AI could be harnessed for public good and leave behind a fairer, healthier, more efficient society for our children to inherit?

Now we know the countless ways that AI can change the world, it already is. It can tackle food insecurity. It can help us develop new therapies for cancer. It can modernize and equalize our health care system and even predict dangerous storms, and I say that as someone who's heading up to Buffalo tonight to help manage the response to yet another massive storm from lake-effect snow.

I'd like to have earlier indicators. In fact, I'd like AI to figure out how to just stop it altogether, but that's not likely to happen. But our research is already making a difference on projects to help our farms run more sustainably. How to wield the power of nuclear energy and radically improve patient care.

Now these are not small advancements. They're the kind of changes that I'm looking for as the Governor - to make real changes in the lives of our citizens, help them buy more for less money, eat better food, live longer.

And make no mistake, the other states are noticing. Just last week I was in California. Have you all heard of California? It's great. I was on a panel of other governors. Tim Walz was there talking about our cybersecurity, leading the nation in our efforts to protect our businesses, our citizens, our economy, protect democracy at the end of it all - but I also talked about what we're doing in AI here.

And I will say this, as I was speaking to the governor, my friend, and many others, they're very impressed with what we're doing with Empire AI, and I encourage them to do something similar. AI imitation is certainly the most sincere form of flattery. Let me tell you, bringing this idea to our state legislature - those of you who are New Yorkers - it wasn't easy.

In fact, it was a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. It was a gamble, and getting it through was no cakewalk. But I took that gamble because I believe with all my heart that New York has always been that cradle of innovation. And since becoming Governor, I’ve seen a rebirth in innovation and technology and high tech development across the state.

Just yesterday, the federal government approved $6 billion so we can incentivize Micron to build semiconductor chips over the next 20 years - not here in the city - but in Upstate New York. This is the largest private sector investment in American history going on right now.

So, Micron and legacy companies like GlobalFoundries and IBM, TTM Technologies, they’re all fostering an ecosystem of incredible explosive growth. And in so doing, we’re transforming communities in every corner of this state.

So, the future of tech does not just reside in New York City - no matter how much it’s flourishing, it’s here and this is where people want to be - it’s thriving in our small towns and on college campuses where, because of Empire AI, I can attract the smartest students, the Ph.D. candidates, who want to have access to something that they would not otherwise have until they go to the private sector.

That’s not happening anywhere else, my friends. And we’re going to continue using these technologies; creating jobs in Upstate, rural areas. Instead of blight and neglect, I’m building supercomputers, companies, innovators. And I know that the decisions we make and the agenda we pursue will define that landscape for generations to come.

Now, let me just finish with this. I knew I needed the best and brightest to help guide me on this path. We took that gamble last year. We wanted it to be successful. Empire AI is already underway.

But I also know that it's more than just this. To realize my vision, I asked IBM and the Girls Who Code to form an independent group of leaders: New York's first ever Emerging Tech Advisory Board. It's chaired by two brilliant CEOs, IBM's Arvind Krishna and Tarika Barrett from Girls Who Code. Both of them know a thing or two about how to succeed in this world of tech, and how to empower those who don't ordinarily get a chance. I don't think it's a radical observation to say it's been a world dominated by white men. I want to democratize it and diversify it. Because as I saw as I went to a graduation of Girls Who Code a few years ago, young women - girls - who otherwise would never have found their way to this other than by this program. They innovated some apps and technologies to help teenage girls deal with the mental health crisis.

They had an app that would take them to a more positive place with uplifting messages. When I saw that, I said, “Their voices are missing from this conversation. They're innovating solutions to problems that others may not even know exist.” We must seize this moment. And that's exactly what we've done. They've been working on a set of recommendations and I look forward to announcing those. And we're going to continue working with the private sector. Because as we've seen with massive upheavals of the past, when the pace of growth is so unprecedented - and you know this, you're seeing this - I have to make sure that traditionally underrepresented groups are not left behind.

Help me achieve that as well in your recruiting and training. And as we change the curriculum in schools all over the state, which is exactly what we're doing to prepare young people to be your employees someday, prepare them for the great paying jobs and the opportunities. So, instead of just the largest companies getting ahead, I want this to be a place of innovation and incubators of the small companies that will rise up someday, and lift them up. The rising tide lifting up all. And in traditional businesses, industries like manufacturing, we'll continue leading. Not just in supporting them, but also in those startups, and lifting up the next generation of the jobs tomorrow. Making sure we have the workers ready for you.

I want to thank you all for coming. We're proud to set the pace. We always have and always will with our partners on the West Coast. Because I believe that innovation and AI in New York can and must be ethical and responsible. You agree with me and you also have tremendous power to make sure that that happens.

So, let's do it together. Enjoy your stay here in the great City of New York, and thank you for being the leaders as we charge into tomorrow. Thank you very much, everyone.