Elon Musk's SpaceXAI, however, failed to appear despite a subpoena, prompting Council Speaker Julie Menin to announce plans for legal action. Menin stated that the company's response to the subpoena was a letter indicating a willingness to cooperate, which she deemed insufficient, emphasizing that their presence to testify was required.
The hearing included testimony from AI whistleblowers, including Jacob Coxon of Anthropic, who warned of the potential for unregulated super AI to lead to human extinction. Lawmakers also questioned company representatives about AI's impact on city pension systems and stock market investments, but received general responses rather than specific answers.
While the Council considered 10 new bills and resolutions aimed at regulating the AI industry, its ability to implement broad oversight and industry-wide regulations is limited. The city's AI czar, Jiahao Chen, also resigned in September, adding to the administrative challenges.
The hearing, which featured an extensive list of witnesses and panels, aimed to be the first legislative body globally to compel testimony from prominent AI leaders on public risks.