NYC Council Says OpenAI, Meta Officials to Attend AI Hearing

Executives from major artificial intelligence companies are expected to appear before New York City lawmakers next week, amid growing concern about a lack of guardrails around the technology.

OpenAI, Anthropic and Alphabet Inc.’s Google agreed to have company executives attend the Oct. 5 hearing after being warned they would be subpoenaed, according to New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin’s office. Meta Platforms Inc. committed to sending one of its executives prior to the other companies receiving subpoena warnings, according to Menin’s office.

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Menin’s office said it subpoenaed SpaceX’s AI unit after it failed to respond to the Council’s invitation to appear at the hearing. A company representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The full 51-member council is invited to question the companies about safeguards for rapidly advancing AI systems and the potential risks to New Yorkers. The council is also expected to ask the executives about broad legislative approaches to AI, Menin’s office said.

Read More: OpenAI, Anthropic CEOs Will Not Attend Australia AI Inquiry

Concerns about AI models have intensified following a series of warnings from industry figures that the rapid pace of development could pose significant risks to humanity. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned this month, warning that AI “could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

“These companies have a significant presence in New York City and collectively employ tens of thousands of New Yorkers,” Menin said in a statement. “Given the high stakes, these firms owe it to their workers and, above all, to the public to come before the Council, answer our questions, and provide input on our proposed legislation under oath.”

Menin has unveiled a package of bills aimed at tightening oversight of AI, including measures that would create financial incentives for whistleblowers who report violations and allow people harmed by AI systems to sue developers under certain circumstances. Another proposal would require AI systems deployed in New York City to undergo third-party validation and have a human-operated kill switch, according to the council.