Representatives for a number of the nation’s AI giants had been on the digital scorching seat Monday, answering generally hostile questions from the Metropolis Council about synthetic intelligence hacking the federal government, leaking knowledge, deceptive customers and fomenting extremism.
Representatives for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta all testified on the hours-long listening to, whereas the Elon Musk-owned SpaceXAI ignored the Council’s requests, even after receiving a subpoena.
Speaker Julie Menin says she’ll see the multibillionaire’s firm in courtroom.
At a press convention forward of the listening to, Menin mentioned SpaceXAI had replied to the subpoena “with a letter indicating that they wish to work with us.”
“To be clear, the one response to the subpoena ought to be that they need to be right here at the moment to testify,” she added. “They’re opting not to do this, so we’re pursuing authorized motion.”
The Metropolis Council must file a lawsuit or particular continuing in state courtroom to compel testimony from leaders of the $3.2 trillion firm. SpaceXAI didn’t reply to The Metropolis Reporter’s request for remark.
Lawmakers grilled representatives for the opposite 4 firms — all of whom testified remotely by way of video name — in an hourslong listening to with oral testimony from an anticipated 69 witnesses spanning 14 panels, together with Mamdani administration officers and {industry} whistleblowers. The Council additionally weighed 10 new payments and resolutions aimed toward reining within the {industry}.
Path to ‘Extinction’?
The primary to testify had been AI firm whistleblowers together with engineer Jacob Coxon, who introduced his resignation from Anthropic final month in a social media thread warning concerning the risks of AI. In a submit that’s been seen greater than 174 million occasions, he described the potential dangers of unregulated tremendous AI.
“On the present path, I feel it’s extra doubtless than not that humanity loses management to those AIs and it will possibly finish in human extinction,” he advised the Council.
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Representatives from Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic adopted. They ducked most direct questions on the potential perils of AI.
“You might be coming to a listening to at the moment to testify concerning the risks and dangers of synthetic intelligence,” Councilmember Shekar Krishnan mentioned after asking about threats to town pension programs, with the affect of AI within the inventory market the place pensions are invested.
Not one of the panelists may instantly reply his questions, citing solely the best way some companies profit from AI.
“The truth that both you don’t have solutions to this otherwise you all are citing common statements concerning the efficiency of publicly-traded firms doesn’t reply the query a few particular concern that places many People in danger,” Krishnan mentioned.
Council’s Restricted Powers
Menin touted the listening to as the primary alternative by a legislative physique anyplace on the globe to compel solutions from leaders of probably the most distinguished AI firms on the know-how’s potential dangers to the general public. She made the extraordinary transfer to convene your complete Metropolis Council, fairly than a particular committee, to query {industry} leaders.
However the Metropolis Council is proscribed in its capability to rein within the {industry} and even a person firm. Crucially, the Council doesn’t have the ability to grant the broad authorities oversight and industry-wide laws that tech CEOs have warned are mandatory. President Donald Trump dismissed their pleas to restrict the know-how as a “conspiracy” and later signed an accord with those self same {industry} leaders the place they agreed to self-police AI growth.
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The payments launched by metropolis lawmakers largely concern stepping up the Mamdani administration’s AI readiness to stop assaults from rogue brokers, which one citywide official declared has already occurred.
Sarah Milstein, a prime official on the metropolis’s Workplace of Know-how and Innovation, advised lawmakers that the company is assured in its capability to defend town’s programs from malicious assaults, however that the company has no regulatory energy over the personal sector or client merchandise.
In the meantime, town’s AI czar, Jiahao Chen, quietly resigned in September, Metropolis & State reported final week.
The Council solely started questioning Mamdani administration officers — the third of 14 panels deliberate for the day — round 4:30 p.m., 5 hours after the listening to started. Greater than 60 different {industry} consultants had been ready to talk, along with an unknown variety of members of the general public.
