The New York City Council held a major hearing on October 5 to examine the potential risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and consider stronger safeguards for New Yorkers. The hearing brought former AI researchers and representatives of major technology companies before all 51 Council members.
Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon reiterated his concerns about the pace of AI development. Coxon, who recently resigned from Anthropic, told lawmakers that on the current path, he believes humanity could eventually lose control of advanced AI systems, potentially resulting in catastrophic consequences.
Other former researchers also raised concerns about whether AI companies can reliably identify problems with increasingly capable systems. Former OpenAI researcher Daniel Kokotajlo questioned the effectiveness of current safety evaluations, while former Google DeepMind researcher Alex Turner discussed concerns about oversight and AI development.
Representatives from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Meta also testified. Lawmakers questioned them about AI safety, catastrophic risks and whether companies would accept responsibility if their systems caused serious harm. SpaceXAI did not appear at the hearing despite a Council subpoena.
The hearing came as the Council considers a package of AI-related legislation. Proposed measures include third-party validation of certain AI systems, greater transparency, whistleblower incentives and legal avenues for people affected by foreseeable AI-related harms.
The discussion highlighted a growing policy debate over how governments should balance AI innovation with safeguards, accountability and public safety.

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