Mamdani calls for federal accountability in AI regulation

Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the federal government's lack of AI regulation, urging New Yorkers to resist the technology's unchecked expansion. At an event hosted by the AI Now Institute, Mamdani argued that AI's rapid adoption is not inevitable and called for public officials to hold tech companies accountable. Last month, he banned AI use in New York's elementary and middle schools, citing concerns over its impact on children. He also introduced a policy requiring real estate platforms to disclose AI-generated listing content to prevent misleading consumers. Mamdani highlighted the risks of AI's unchecked growth, referencing the U.S. military's February strike on an Iranian school that killed over 150 people, including children. He criticized the perception of AI as infallible and noted Facebook's similar arguments in 2008. Anthropic is set to go public this year, while OpenAI plans to do so in 2027. Mamdani called for a new framework on AI regulation, emphasizing the need for accountability beyond corporate self-regulation. President Trump's Superintelligence Task Force focuses on allowing AI firms to self-regulate, despite warnings from whistleblowers at Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI about AI's potential to cause human extinction. Mamdani stressed the importance of rethinking how AI is discussed and regulated at the national level.