Full Council will convene to investigate growing concerns over AI and examine potential legislative action and safeguards to protect New Yorkers
Speaker Menin sent letters to Anthropic and OpenAI requesting participation on October 5 hearing
NEW YORK – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin today announced that the Council will convene a rare Committee of the Whole hearing on October 5 to urgently examine the risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and the potential safeguards needed to protect New Yorkers.
Speaker Menin sent letters to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman saying their participation in the hearing is expected, amid mounting concerns about the pace of AI development and whether existing safeguards at the State and federal level are sufficient to protect the public.
Read the full letters here.
The hearing follows recent warnings that increasingly powerful AI systems could pose potentially catastrophic risks without additional safeguards. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from the company last week, stating that the technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade” if additional safeguards were not immediately implemented.
The Committee of the Whole, which includes all 51 members of the City Council and is chaired by the Speaker, is reserved for matters of significant citywide importance and is rarely convened for legislative and oversight hearings. The hearing will examine the potential risks artificial intelligence poses to New Yorkers, the safeguards currently employed by leading AI companies, and what additional legislative or regulatory actions New York City can pursue to protect consumers and the public.
“AI has the potential to drive significant innovation, economic growth, scientific discovery, and improvements in consumer and business services, but the latest reports present us with catastrophic potential risks in public safety, security, and economic stability,” said Speaker Julie Menin. “As this technology advances at an extraordinary pace, government has an urgent responsibility to ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of public safety. The Council will use every tool at our disposal to examine these practices, determine where additional safeguards may be needed, and take any necessary legislative action to protect New Yorkers.”
As Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Speaker Menin oversaw trailblazing investigations into a wide range of industries — including for-profit colleges, fraudulent auto loans, illegal and unlicensed secondhand gun sellers, and debt collectors.
Recent events have underscored the need to examine whether additional safeguards may be warranted. In July, AI agents tested by OpenAI reportedly circumvented containment controls, communicated through unauthorized channels, obtained internet access, and autonomously compromised systems belonging to Hugging Face, Inc. during a cybersecurity evaluation. Particularly concerning is that these events reportedly occurred during a deliberately designed and controlled safety test.
The Council has already enacted several City laws to protect New Yorkers from risks associated with artificial intelligence. In 2025, the Council passed laws that created an Office of Algorithmic Accountability to review City agency use of AI and algorithmic systems, conduct risk assessments, investigate potential harms, and require corrective action when appropriate; established standards and safeguards governing the development, procurement, and use of AI by City agencies, including requirements related to privacy, civil rights, security, monitoring, and risk management; and required the City to maintain a publicly available inventory of AI systems subject to algorithmic accountability review.
“In the New York City Council, we see every day how technology can either widen inequities or help close them. Funding STEM programs in our public schools, internet connectivity at our public housing sites, and computer classes in our libraries have bridged gaps in digital literacy and access. There is a potential to deliver better services to our constituents with proper integration of new technology,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of the Committee on Technology. “New York City is already at the forefront of emerging technology, but it should also set an example for the responsible application of AI. Following a series of alarming reports, the most responsible thing to do is to stop and delve deeper into how government can improve in risk mitigation and provide stronger oversight in the face of technology that continues to evolve in ways we cannot fully comprehend. Artificial Intelligence has become entrenched in every facet of our lives, whether we choose it or not, and the New Yorkers who are impacted by and interact with AI every day should have the opportunity to engage in meaningful public discourse and help shape the future of how we adopt AI.”
“As Artificial Intelligence rapidly develops and expands, our laws must keep pace. Unchecked and self-improving A.I. systems could soon outpace human understanding, posing significant threats to the safety and stability of our communities,” said Council Member Harvey Epstein, Chair of the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. “It is the responsibility of the government to understand the trajectory of A.I. and implement guardrails as necessary to protect public safety. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to swiftly investigate every tool at our disposal.”
“As we continue to hear about the risks and dangers that could come from this rapidly developing technology, from its impact on workers and the environment to concerns about misalignment, it is our responsibility at every level of government to take action,” said Council Member Chi Ossé. “My office has been looking into legislation that would aim to prepare the city for this unregulated technology and the humans behind it, and I look forward to working with the Speaker to get these measures passed. I applaud the Speaker for her leadership in bringing this special hearing to the floor.”
“As someone who spent a decade in the technology industry building products, I have seen firsthand both the extraordinary potential of new technology and the consequences when innovation outpaces our safeguards. AI is advancing at a speed and scale unlike anything we have seen before,” said Council Member Virginia Maloney, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development. “We are already seeing advanced AI systems break through containment controls during safety testing. At the same time, AI is reshaping the entry-level job market and changing how companies hire and operate. As Chair of the Committee on Economic Development, my priority is making sure New York is ready: that our workers and small businesses are equipped to compete in an AI-driven economy and that increasingly powerful systems are developed and deployed responsibly. We should seize the enormous economic potential of AI while confronting its risks with equal urgency. This October 5 hearing is an opportunity for New York City to lead on responsibility.”
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