New York City Council holds AI safety hearing with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta in attendance; SpaceXAI faces lawsuit for refusing to testify

The New York City Council held a hearing on AI safety on October 5, with representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta testifying remotely. SpaceXAI, under Elon Musk, still did not appear after receiving a subpoena, and Speaker Julie Menin said legal action would be taken. The hearing was expected to have 69 witnesses testifying in 14 panels and to consider 10 bills and resolutions aimed at regulating the AI industry. Former Anthropic engineer Jacob Coxon testified first as a whistleblower, saying that on the current path, humans are more likely to lose control of AI and head toward extinction. Council member Shekar Krishnan pressed on the impact of AI on city pension fund investments; none of the four company representatives answered directly. Sarah Milstein, an official from the city's Technology and Innovation Office, said the agency is confident it can defend municipal systems against malicious attacks, but has no regulatory authority over the private sector or consumer products.