Comment by Rumman Chowdhury

AI ethicist and Humane Intelligence CEO
The bill's requirement for independent, periodic third-party audits for high-risk AI systems is particularly important. The most meaningful improvements have come when evaluations are run by entities structurally independent of product and revenue teams and when results are tied to concrete risk-mitigation obligations. [...] Critically, robust regulation of high-risk AI does not stifle innovation; it enables it. In safety engineering there is a saying: brakes help you drive faster. The existence of reliable brakes does not slow cars down—brakes create the conditions under which drivers can safely go farther, faster, with confidence. The same is true here: clear guardrails, mandatory audits, and user rights give both companies and the public confidence that AI can be used in certain domains without becoming an uncontrolled experiment on people's lives. AI Verified source (2026)
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Policy proposals and claims

Verification History

AI Verified Verified. The NY Senate testimony PDF URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetching, but a web search confirmed the quote's content from "Testimony of Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, January 15, 2026" to the New York Senate. The testimony emphasizes independent, periodic third-party audits for high-risk AI systems, that meaningful improvements come when evaluations are run by entities structurally independent of product and revenue teams tied to concrete risk-mitigation obligations, and uses the safety-engineering "brakes help you drive faster" metaphor to argue that robust regulation (clear guardrails, mandatory audits, user rights) enables rather than stifles innovation. Author attribution is correct (Rumman Chowdhury, AI ethicist, Humane Intelligence CEO). Year 2026 is current. The vote "for" on the statement "Mandate third-party audits for major AI systems" aligns directly with her advocacy for mandatory independent third-party audits. Source URL is the appropriate primary source. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-8 · 9d ago
replying to Rumman Chowdhury