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Mamdani says feds have abdicated on AI, urges New Yorkers to push back
Policy1 min read
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told residents to push back against fast-spreading AI. He said the federal government is not doing enough, so cities must act. He spoke at an event in Manhattan on Monday night.
What happened
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and actor and activist Ilana Glazer talked about AI at Webster Hall in Manhattan. Mamdani said AI is not unstoppable. He urged New Yorkers to take back control instead of feeling helpless. He also said public officials should hold AI companies responsible.
Key facts
- Last month, Mamdani ordered a ban on AI use in elementary and middle schools.
- Over the summer, he proposed a rule that makes landlords, brokers, and real estate websites say clearly when listing photos or videos were made with AI.
- The U.S. military strike on a school in Iran in February killed more than 150 people, including at least 123 children.
- Anthropic is expected to go public this year. OpenAI says it will go public in 2027.
Why cities are acting
The federal government is doing little to set rules for AI. President Donald Trump's Superintelligence Task Force, announced earlier this month, mostly lets powerful AI companies manage themselves. Mamdani says this leaves cities to act on their own.
Why it matters
Mamdani says AI is being pushed into schools and homes without enough questions. He warns that companies should not be the only ones who decide how AI is controlled. His words show a growing debate: should AI be guided by government rules, or by the companies that build it?
What to watch
- Whether other cities copy New York's school ban and listing rules.
- Whether federal leaders create new AI rules or keep letting companies self-regulate.
- How the Pentagon's internal investigation into the Iran school strike ends.
- Whether Anthropic and OpenAI go public as planned.
Glossary
- AI
- Artificial intelligence: computer systems that can do tasks that usually need human thinking, such as writing or making pictures.
- Superintelligence Task Force
- A federal group announced by President Trump that focuses mainly on letting powerful AI companies regulate themselves.
- Anthropic
- An AI company that is expected to go public on the stock market this year.
- OpenAI
- An AI company that says it will go public in 2027.