New York Mayor Urges Residents to Push Back Against Rapid AI Growth

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and actor Ilana Glazer spoke about artificial intelligence at Webster Hall in Manhattan on Monday night. Mamdani told New York residents to resist the idea that an AI takeover is inevitable and to demand public protections instead. The event, called The People's AI Assembly, was hosted by the AI Now Institute think tank.

Local Actions

Mamdani pointed to recent local steps his administration has taken to challenge the tech industry. Last month, he ordered a ban on AI use in elementary and middle schools. Over the summer, he also introduced a rule requiring landlords and real estate platforms to clearly state when listing photos or videos are made with AI to prevent misleading housing ads. Glazer, a parent, said at the event that the arrival of AI in classrooms makes her feel nervous and lacks consent.

Global Concerns

The mayor criticized the federal government for doing little to regulate the technology. He pointed to the U.S. military's February strike on a school in Iran that killed over 150 people, including at least 123 children, noting that Pentagon investigators found overreliance on AI in targeting played a role. He also argued that companies push AI as infallible to avoid accountability while protecting their valuations ahead of upcoming public market debuts, noting Anthropic expects to go public this year and OpenAI plans to do so in 2027. Furthermore, Mamdani criticized President Donald Trump's Superintelligence Task Force, announced earlier this month, for focusing on self-regulation for tech companies rather than new federal rules, despite warnings from whistleblowers at Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI.

Context

Local governments in the United States often step in with their own rules when national lawmakers fail to pass comprehensive federal legislation on fast-moving tech issues. Artificial intelligence regulation has become a major topic of debate as companies race toward public market offerings while facing mounting warnings from industry insiders about safety risks.