A new bill introduced in the New York state legislature aims to strengthen transparency and accountability in newsrooms by requiring clear disclaimers on AI-generated content. The legislation, known as The New York Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements in News Act—or the NY FAIR News Act—was unveiled by Senator Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) and Assemblymember Nily Rozic (D-NYC). The bill seeks to protect the integrity of journalism and safeguard the jobs and working conditions of newsroom professionals. Under the proposed law, news organizations would be required to label any content that is “substantially composed, authored, or created through the use of generative artificial intelligence.” This includes articles, audio, images, and other multimedia. The disclaimers would be visible to the public and must appear alongside the content. The bill includes an exception for copyrightable material that demonstrates clear human authorship, aligning with current U.S. Copyright Office guidance that AI-only works are not eligible for copyright protection. Beyond public transparency, the bill mandates internal accountability. Newsrooms would have to inform journalists and media workers when AI tools are used and how they are being applied. Crucially, all AI-assisted content must undergo a human review by an employee with editorial authority before publication. This requirement applies across all forms of media, reinforcing the role of human judgment in journalism. The bill also includes provisions to protect sensitive information. News organizations would be required to implement safeguards to prevent AI systems from accessing confidential data, particularly information about sources, which is foundational to investigative reporting. Lawmakers cite two primary concerns behind the legislation: the risk of AI-generated content being false or misleading, and the potential for AI to plagiarize by drawing from original works without permission or proper attribution. Senator Fahy emphasized the importance of maintaining public trust in journalism, noting that over 76% of Americans are worried about AI stealing or reproducing news content. The NY FAIR News Act has received strong support from major media labor unions, including WGA-East, SAG-AFTRA, and the DGA. Jennifer Sheehan of the NewsGuild of New York confirmed that the union has been working with a coalition of labor groups to advance the bill. The NewsGuild has also been active in broader efforts to regulate AI in newsrooms, including its “News Not Slop” campaign, which calls for stronger ethical standards. In New York City, the Business Insider union recently held a rally in the Financial District to protest an editorial pilot that published AI-generated stories with an “AI byline,” expressing concerns about the erosion of journalistic credibility and job security. The bill also includes labor protections, preventing news organizations from firing, reducing pay, or cutting benefits for journalists solely due to the adoption of generative AI. These protections reflect language already included in union contracts across the country. The NY FAIR News Act represents a significant step toward balancing innovation with ethical responsibility in the news industry, ensuring that AI serves as a tool rather than a replacement for human journalists.