Major AI firms will testify in front of city council, Menin says

Major AI firms will testify at an Oct. 5 city council meeting on the potential dangers of AI technology, and potential legislative solutions, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced in a Sept. 28 news release.

These include Anthropotic, OpenAI, Google and Meta, according to the release.

Menin said with the exception of Meta, the companies only confirmed their attendance after the council’s explicit threat of subpoena. Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI did not respond and Menin issued a subpoena on Sept. 28 urging the company to attend, according to the release. If SpaceXAI doesn’t comply with the subpoena, the council may seek judicial enforcement in the New York State Supreme Court, the release said.

The Oct. 5 meeting will convene all 51 members of the city council to examine rapidly developing AI technology and the risks it poses, Menin said, citing recent warnings from whistleblowers and AI executives, as well as reports that rogue AI agents successfully or attempted to hack government databases.

“Given the high stakes, these firms owe it to the public to come before the council, answer our questions and provide input on our proposed legislation under oath,” Menin stated.