New York City Council will hold a comprehensive hearing on the security risks and regulatory oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) next week. Council Speaker Julie Menin officially issued subpoenas on Monday, demanding that AI companies under Elon Musk, including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, testify. Prior to this, tech giants like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic had agreed to attend the hearing under the threat of subpoenas.
The New York City Council announced that the four tech giants including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Meta have all confirmed their participation in the public hearing of the Committee of the Whole on October 5. All 51 council members will jointly question, examine the potential risks of AI technology to society, and discuss a series of proposed regulatory bills.
According to amNY, Meta is the only company that voluntarily agreed to participate without receiving a subpoena threat. In contrast, Google and Anthropic initially refused to attend before the deadline on Friday, and OpenAI also hesitated to confirm its willingness.
Council Speaker Julie Menin has issued several public warnings over the past week, stating that if tech giants refuse to cooperate, the council will not hesitate to use subpoena power: “We have the legal authority to issue subpoenas, and if necessary, we will not hesitate to use it.”
This warning eventually turned into concrete action. Menin authorized the legal team to formally issue subpoenas on Monday morning to companies that had not agreed to attend, and the council’s lawyer issued a final ultimatum to each company in advance.
OpenAI and Google officially agreed to attend on Sunday, while Anthropic confirmed their attendance late Sunday night. Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX AI, completely ignored the council’s multiple communications, prompting Menin to issue a subpoena on Monday to force their attendance at the hearing.
Menin emphasized in a statement, “Top experts and AI company executives themselves have warned that rapid advances in AI could bring extremely serious risks, and it is the responsibility of governments to take action.”
Menin added, “These tech companies have a significant business presence in New York City, employing thousands of New Yorkers. Given the importance of the matter, these enterprises have an obligation to stand before the council, answer our questions under oath, and provide input on proposed bills – this is their responsibility to their employees and, more importantly, to the general public.”