Senior leaders from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Meta testified under oath before the New York City Council on October 5, 2026, about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. City officials described the oversight hearing as the first of its kind in the nation and the world.
The rare Committee of the Whole hearing convened all 51 council members at City Hall. Council Speaker Julie Menin, who called for the session, said the firms owed it to the public to answer questions and provide input on proposed legislation under oath.
Only Meta confirmed its attendance without pressure. OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic agreed to appear only after the Council explicitly threatened to use its subpoena power, according to the Council and multiple reports. Anthropic confirmed its participation late on the night before a subpoena was due to be served.
The hearing opened with testimony from former AI researchers turned whistleblowers. Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic researcher, told the council that the industry's approach was "extremely reckless given the stakes."
"On the current path, I think it is more likely than not that humanity loses control to these AIs, and it could end in human extinction," Coxon said.
Former OpenAI researcher Daniel Kokotajlo called on AI companies to increase transparency and slow the development of their most advanced models, while former Google DeepMind researcher Alex Turner warned that misaligned AI could become a greater threat than foreign competitors.
Menin then pressed the company representatives to quantify the risk of a worst-case catastrophic scenario. Morgan Dwyer, OpenAI's head of policy development and operations, declined to give a figure.
"I don't know — I also don't think it matters whether it's 1% or 10% or 20% chance that something catastrophic will go wrong," Dwyer said. "None of these levels is remotely acceptable."
Menin called the response "flippant at best" and later said she would take it that none of the four companies could quantify the risk of a cataclysmic event. Executives stressed their companies' safety work and the technology's potential benefits, and several argued that a comprehensive federal framework is needed. Google's Alice Friend said that what is illegal without AI remains illegal with AI.
Elon Musk's SpaceXAI was the only summoned company that did not appear. Menin said the absence was "in direct violation of the subpoena" issued on September 28 and that the Council plans to "pursue this matter in court." If SpaceXAI fails to comply, the Council may seek judicial enforcement in New York State Supreme Court.
The Council is considering a package of 10 bills to regulate AI in New York City. Proposals include independent third-party validation before AI models can be marketed or deployed in the city, a technical capability for a human operator to shut down a model, and what the Council describes as a first-in-the-nation whistleblower incentive program. Other measures would create a private right of action for New Yorkers harmed by AI agents and prohibit unauthorized AI-generated depictions of public officials.
What is confirmed: the sworn testimony took place on October 5; three of the four companies appeared only under threat of subpoena; SpaceXAI did not attend; and the 10-bill package is under consideration.
What remains unknown: whether any company can precisely quantify catastrophic AI risk, whether SpaceXAI will comply with the subpoena, and how courts would rule on the Council's enforcement authority over an out-of-state technology firm.
What is awaited: the Council's formal legal action against SpaceXAI, the fate of the 10 bills, and any federal response to the city's push for stronger AI safeguards.