Statement by Cristin Frodella, Common Sense Media New York Parent Advisory Council, at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s AI Frontier Model Safety Announcement
New York City, NY, November 10, 2026 – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today the leadership team for the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research, a $30 million project to independently evaluate AI frontier models for safety. Cristin Frodella, a member of Common Sense Media’s New York Parent Advisory Council, was invited to speak at the governor’s press conference today. She prepared the following remarks for delivery.
Common Sense Media launched its own independent Youth AI Safety Institute in May, focussed on assessing AI products and models used by kids and teens and developing industry standards for safe AI. On October 28th, Gov. Hochul signed into law the nation’s strongest law to date to protect kids and teens from unsafe AI chatbots, a bill that was championed by Common Sense Media, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, and Assemblymember Alex Bores.
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Statement by Cristin Frodella
Good morning. I’d like to thank Governor Hochul for inviting me and for being such a champion on AI Safety, for kids and for all New Yorkers. Because of the Governor’s leadership, New York is setting the example for all states to follow.
My name is Cristin Frodella. I’m a parent who has spent most of my career in big tech. I’m also a member of Common Sense Media’s New York Parent Advisory Council. Common Sense Media is the largest organization in the country working to keep kids safe in a digital world.
I have a nearly nine year old daughter and two great stepkids in college, so I’ve gotten to raise humans all across the spectrum of tech - from the desktop to the smartphone to AI.
I started out in big tech in 2001 and I eventually became part of the team that launched many of the edtech tools that are used in schools today. When we started out, my colleagues and I were young and idealistic. We worked with teachers and researchers to study the benefits - communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking skills - which we all believed tech would bring to our kids. But nobody was independently studying the risks those tools posed before they reached our kids.
And I wish they had.
Here’s what’s different now: Back then, we were putting products in classrooms. Today, the thing being built is the foundation beneath every product - the frontier AI models that every app, every tutor, every chatbot my daughter will ever touch is built on. If that foundation isn’t safe, nothing built on top of it is safe either. Not for her, not for her teachers, not for any New York family.
And the risks aren’t just the ones that a mom sees at a kitchen table - a kid handing her homework to a chatbot, or taking advice from one that leads her astray. They’re the ones none of us can see yet. Systems so capable that even the people who build them can’t fully predict what they’ll do. We’ve been here before. We know how this goes when nobody who is independent is watching.
That’s what makes today’s announcement so important to me as a mom.
The New York Center for AI Responsibility is the independent evaluator we were missing back at the dawn of edtech and the one every New York family needs now. A research organization led by computer scientists, machine learning experts, and researchers that care more about understanding the impact of a frontier AI model - on the people of New York - than they do about its impact on company shareholders.
One thing I know is, these companies CAN build safer models. Now, New York will let them know it’s what we expect.
Thank you again, Governor Hochul. And thank you to Dr. Wing and Dr. Morrisset and the team they’re building. We look forward to the great things we know will come out of the NY Center for AI Responsibility.
About Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and trusted voice they need to thrive in the age of AI. Through our Youth AI Safety Institute, media ratings, advocacy campaigns, and Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum, we protect and prepare kids, reaching 150 million families and more than 90K schools worldwide. Learn more: about.commonsensemedia.org.