New York mayor Mamdani says feds have abdicated on AI, urges city pushback
At the AI Now Institute’s People’s AI Assembly in Manhattan, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and activist Ilana Glazer debated the rapid rollout of artificial intelligence. Mamdani warned New Yorkers not to accept AI as inevitable, criticized the federal government’s “complete abdication of federal law,” and pointed to President Donald Trump’s Superintelligence Task Force, which he said focuses on…
Key points
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani banned AI use in NYC elementary and middle schools.
- New policy forces landlords and platforms to disclose AI‑generated listing photos or videos.
- Mamdani criticized federal inaction, noting Trump’s Superintelligence Task Force favors self‑regulation.
Mamdani announced two city policies: a ban on AI use in elementary and middle schools, and a requirement that landlords, brokers, and real‑estate platforms clearly disclose when listing photos or videos are generated by AI to protect residents from “house‑phishing.” He linked reckless technology adoption to the U.S. military’s February strike on an Iranian school that killed more than 150 people, including at least 123 children, noting AI‑driven targeting was a factor.
The mayor also cited past arguments by Facebook in 2008 and warned that framing AI as an arms race with China sidelines humanistic concerns. He referenced upcoming IPOs for Anthropic and OpenAI and cited whistleblower warnings that unchecked AI could pose existential risks.
Mamdani says feds have abdicated on AI, urges New Yorkers to push back
TechCrunch AI · 20 October 2026
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