Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged Thursday that she uses artificial intelligence “lightly” in her office, such as to understand New York’s high gas prices.
During a question-and-answer session at an Association for a Better New York event, Hochul described his use of AI as “like Google.”
“I think it’s being used lightly now…I use it more as a search engine, like Google,” she said, citing an example from just that morning.
The Democratic governor said earlier in the day that he used AI to check gas prices in the Empire State, a fact that was brought up separately during a speech at a power brokers breakfast.
“In the three weeks since the United States began military operations against Iran, the average price of gasoline in York has increased by 21 percent to 62 cents per gallon,” Hochul told attendees at Cipriani Wall Street.
But average gas prices in New York rose nearly 25% to about 73 cents per gallon, according to AAA.
The Democratic governor’s comments about his experience with artificial intelligence said he wants to make New York a “destination” for AI companies as he outlines a broader vision for integrating the technology into the state’s economy.
“If AI is destined to reshape the global economy, New York must be at the forefront of it,” she says.
Acknowledging that many uncertainties remain, Hochul said she plans to launch a new group, the FutureWorks Commission, tasked with studying how AI might reshape New York.
“One of the things we know about AI is that we don’t know much, and this has been bothering me for a while,” she said.
The commission, which includes leaders from business, labor, academia and government, is expected to make policy recommendations to help the imperial nation adapt to rapid technological change.
“It will include an ambitious agenda to study how AI is shaping jobs and industries, track both the worst disruptions and the most promising opportunities, and recommend policies to ensure New Yorkers benefit.”
The initiative builds on a series of recent state initiatives, including the $500 million Empire AI Computing Center and new hire training programs aimed at preparing students, small businesses and public servants for the technology.
Hochul likened the “AI revolution” to the industrial revolution, warning of new job opportunities as well as potential job losses.
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“The AI revolution has hit the workforce like an earthquake, sapping the efficiency of senior staff, forcing mid-level employees to look for new jobs, and leaving entry-level employees alone,” she said.
He also expressed caution about AI’s infrastructure demands, particularly energy-intensive data centers, which he has opposed in the past.
He said companies looking to build in New York would have to either supply their own power or contribute to the state’s power grid to power resource-hungry data centers.
“The costs of innovation should not be passed on to working families,” Hochul said.
He also suggested that AI could help governments modernize themselves, such as by identifying outdated laws.
“We still have to use the telegram to communicate,” she joked about an old New York state law that required government agencies to use the telegram.
“I haven’t done that in about a century,” she joked.
