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AI Laws in Rochester, New York
As of 2026-06-17, AI Laws USA tracks 39 AI rules that apply to people and businesses in Rochester, New York: 10+ federal protections, 28 New York state-level rules, and 1 local Rochester ordinance. Coverage is strongest on deepfakes, AI-generated images, consumer protection, and automated decision-making. 22 of these rules are already in effect. Each entry below links to its official source.
Rochester local AI rules (and Monroe County)
1 local AI rule specific to Rochester, New York or Monroe County.
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In effect Stronger protection
NY School FR Moratorium (Rochester effects)
Rochester, NY · Effective 2020-12-22 · Part BB of ch. 56 of Laws of 2020; N.Y. Educ. Law 2-d-1
New York State law triggered by Lockport City SD's facial recognition deployment bars schools statewide — including Rochester-area districts — from acquiring or using biometric identifying technology without state authorization.
New York-level AI rules most relevant to Rochester
28 New York state rules apply to residents and businesses in Rochester. Showing the 8 most relevant to Rochester's local picture; 20 more are on the New York jurisdiction page.
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In effect Moderate protection
NY S5959-D (2020, digital replicas + deepfake porn)
NY · Effective 2021-05-29 · Ch. 304 of 2020 (S5959-D); N.Y. Civ. Rights Law §§ 50-f, 52-c
Signed by Governor Cuomo on November 30, 2020, NY S5959-D was the first state law to (1) extend right of publicity to digital replicas of deceased personalities for 40 years, and (2) create a private right of action against unlawful publication of sexually explicit deepfakes. Landmark precedent — direct ancestor of CA AB 1836 (2024) and NY's 2023-2025 digital-replica laws.
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In effect Moderate protection
NY AI digital replica law
NY · Effective 2024-08-13 · N.Y. Civil Rights Law §§ 50-f, 50-g; Ch. 219 and 220 of 2024
New York governor signed laws making vague AI digital-replica clauses in personal-services contracts unenforceable and reinforcing the state's right-of-publicity protections for AI-generated voice and likeness fraud. Builds on NY's existing Civil Rights Law §§ 50-f and 50-g.
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In effect Moderate protection
NY AG
NY · Effective 2024-10-17 · NY AG — Symposium Report on the Next Decade of AI (enforcement priorities) (2024-10-17)
James outlines enforcement priorities: hiring tool bias, GenAI misinformation, deepfakes, ADS. References LL144 precedent; previews state ADS guidance and legislative recommendations.
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In effect Moderate protection
New York Fashion Workers Act (models must consent to AI digital replicas)
New York · Effective 2025-06-19 · New York State Fashion Workers Act; L. 2024, ch. 683 (S9832)
Before a modeling agency or a client can create or use an AI digital replica of a model (such as a computer-generated version of their face, body, or voice), they must get the model's clear written consent, separate from the regular representation contract, that spells out the scope, purpose, pay, and how long the replica will be used.
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In effect Moderate protection
New York S8391 (bans unauthorized AI digital replicas of deceased performers)
New York · Effective 2025-12-11 · N.Y. S8391 (2025)
This law makes it illegal to use a digital replica of a deceased performer in an audiovisual work, a sound recording, or a live performance of a musical work without consent from the appropriate rights holder. It applies when the user knows the replica is unauthorized. A deceased performer's estate or rights holder can sue, recovering the greater of $2,000 or their actual damages, plus any profits the violator made from the unauthorized use.
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In effect Limited protection
New York S1042A (bans sharing deepfake intimate images)
New York · Effective 2023-11-28 · N.Y. Penal Law 245.15; L. 2023, ch. 513 (S1042A)
New York made it a crime to share or post fake nude or sexual images of a person without their consent, even when the image was generated or altered by computer (a deepfake), as long as the person shown can be reasonably identified. This brought AI-made intimate images under the state's existing revenge-porn crime.
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In effect Limited protection
New York AIDPA (privacy right covers AI-made likeness & voice)
New York · Effective 2024-04-20 · N.Y. Civil Rights Law 50, 51; L. 2024, ch. 58, pt. MM
New York's long-standing right-of-privacy law bars using a person's name, picture, likeness, or voice for ads or trade without written consent. This amendment made clear that protection also covers a picture, likeness, or voice that was created or altered by AI or other digitization, so AI-generated deepfakes of a person fall under the same rule.
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In effect Limited protection
New York S8420A (ads must disclose AI 'synthetic performers')
New York · Effective 2026-06-09 · N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law 396-b (S8420A, 2025)
When a business creates an advertisement for property or services for a commercial purpose, this law requires it to clearly disclose if the ad uses a 'synthetic performer' — a digitally created asset (made with generative AI or a software algorithm) meant to look like an audiovisual or visual performance by a human, where the figure is not recognizable as any identifiable real person. Penalties are $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for each subsequent violation.
Federal AI rules that apply in Rochester, New York
These federal protections apply everywhere in the United States, including Rochester, New York. Showing the 10 strongest and most recent.
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In effect Stronger protection
Bartz v. Anthropic
N.D. Cal. · Effective 2025-09-05 · Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.)
Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic over its use of pirated-book datasets to train Claude. In June 2025 Judge William Alsup issued a split ruling: training on lawfully purchased books was fair use, but ingesting pirated copies from LibGen was not. In September 2025 Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion class settlement — the largest AI copyright recovery to date.
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In effect Stronger protection
Banner v. Tesla (Autopilot)
S.D. Fla. · Effective 2025-08-01 · Banner v. Tesla, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-21940 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 1, 2025)
A Florida federal jury found Tesla 33% liable in August 2025 for the 2019 death of Naibel Benavides Leon, in a crash involving Autopilot. The verdict awarded $243M (later reduced to ~$220M) — the first Autopilot wrongful-death verdict against Tesla.
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In effect Stronger protection
COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data)
United States · Effective 2025-06-23 · 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
COPPA requires online services aimed at children under 13 to get verifiable parental consent before collecting kids' personal data. The 2025 rule update — fully in effect since April 22, 2026 — adds biometric identifiers (like face templates and voiceprints, which matter for AI tools), requires separate parental consent before sharing children's data for targeted advertising, and tightens data retention limits.
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In effect Stronger protection
TAKE IT DOWN Act
United States · Effective 2025-05-19 · Pub. L. No. 119-12 (S. 146)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes. Social media and similar platforms must give victims a way to request removal and must take the content (and known copies) down within 48 hours. The platform removal requirement became enforceable May 19, 2026, and the FTC has already begun enforcement.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thaler v. Perlmutter (Copyright)
D.C. Cir. · Effective 2025-03-18 · Thaler v. Perlmutter, 130 F.4th 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2025)
The companion copyright case: Stephen Thaler sought to register a copyright with 'Creativity Machine' (his AI) as the author. The D.C. Circuit affirmed in March 2025 that the Copyright Act's human-authorship requirement is constitutional and dispositive. AI cannot be a copyright author under U.S. law.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thomson Reuters v. Ross
D. Del. · Effective 2025-02-11 · Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence, Inc., 694 F. Supp. 3d 467 (D. Del. 2025)
Thomson Reuters sued legal-research startup Ross Intelligence in 2020 for copying Westlaw headnotes to train a competing AI legal-research tool. In February 2025, Judge Stephanos Bibas (sitting by designation) granted summary judgment to Thomson Reuters on direct copyright infringement and rejected Ross's fair-use defense — the first definitive U.S. ruling on AI-training fair use. The 2023 jury trial verdict had been deadlocked; the 2025 ruling resolved liability.
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In effect Stronger protection
Louis v. SafeRent
D. Mass. · Effective 2024-11-20 · Louis v. SafeRent Solutions, LLC, No. 1:22-cv-10800 (D. Mass.)
SafeRent agreed in November 2024 to a $2.275M settlement and a five-year ban on using its 'SafeRent Score' for housing-voucher applicants, after a class action alleged its AI tenant-screening tool systematically denied housing to Black and Hispanic Section 8 voucher holders. The first major AI tenant-screening Fair Housing Act settlement.
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In effect Stronger protection
NetChoice v. Yost (Ohio)
S.D. Ohio · Effective 2024-04-30 · NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 30, 2024)
Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act — requiring parental consent for minors' social-media use, including algorithmic feeds — was permanently enjoined as unconstitutional in April 2024.
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In effect Stronger protection
FTC Impersonation Rule (AI)
United States · Effective 2024-04-01 · 16 C.F.R. Part 461; 89 Fed. Reg. 15017
The FTC's Impersonation Rule lets the agency directly sue scammers who pretend to be a government agency or a real business — including those who use AI-cloned voices or generated images to do so. Civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation. The FTC also issued a supplemental notice in February 2024 proposing to extend the rule to all individual impersonation.
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In effect Stronger protection
TCPA (AI voice calls)
United States · Effective 2024-02-08 · 47 U.S.C. § 227; FCC 24-17
Robocalls using AI-cloned or AI-generated voices are treated like other 'artificial voice' calls: callers need your prior express consent, must identify themselves, and must offer opt-outs for telemarketing. You can personally sue violators for $500 to $1,500 per illegal call.
Frequently asked questions about AI laws in Rochester, New York
Are there AI laws in Rochester, New York?
What federal AI rules apply in Rochester?
Does New York have an AI privacy law?
Are deepfakes illegal in New York?
Can my employer use AI to screen me for jobs in Rochester?
How do I report an AI law violation in Rochester?
Are facial recognition cameras allowed in Rochester?
Is Rochester regulated by New York's consumer privacy act?
Have we missed an AI rule in Rochester?
This page is generated from our open civic dataset. If you know of a Rochester ordinance, county rule, or local enforcement action we should add, email [email protected] or submit a correction. Every entry must include a verifiable source.