New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Mamdani has issued an urgent call for artificial intelligence (AI) oversight, warning that the technology must be strictly regulated “at every single level” across America. Echoing warnings recently raised by leading AI insiders about the risks of the platforms they are constructing, Mamdani stressed that the debate extends far past standard political talking points.“I don’t use much AI in my day-to-day life. However, like most New Yorkers, whenever I use any kind of a popular search engine, AI has now become imbued in part of the results that are being generated,” he told reporters, adding, “So, if you’re using Google, if you using DuckDuckGo, it seems to be built into the system itself. And when it comes to how I think of artificial intelligence, you have some of the leaders of the creation of this technology saying that there’s a 10 percent chance that humanity could come to an end as a result of this.”He highlighted that several industry figures have placed the odds of the technology triggering human extinction at roughly 10%, a sobering estimate that he argues requires an immediate and serious government response.“I think when that kind of language is par for the course, when companies are asserting that each of them has faced something similar to the Hugging Face incident. It does demand a level of response that goes beyond just the political topic of the day. It does raise itself to understanding artificial intelligence as one of the most consequential technological shifts in the last few generations of the world,” Mamdani added.As the fallout from AI crosses geographic and administrative borders, Mamdani emphasised that municipal policies alone are not enough.“I think that there has to be regulation of this technology at every single level. And I think we’re talking about a technology that affects our nation as a whole. This is not a New York City-specific question. And therefore, I think the place where we need the most urgent response to this is at the national level,” Mamdani noted.
Moving beyond the China ‘Arms Race’ narrative
A central element of Mamdani’s argument is that framing AI primarily as an international rivalry distracts from immediate domestic harms. Addressing reporters, the mayor pushed back against the common political argument that technological development must race ahead without guardrails to counter foreign adversaries:“I do think that the consistent framing of AI in the context of being in an arms race with China loses sight of the fact that this will have an impact on New Yorkers at every level of their lives as well as Americans, frankly,” Mamdani stated.Mamdani pointed out that the disruption is already visible on the ground, notably through its destabilising effect on the employment market and the broader workforce, as well as how individuals interact with everyday information.“It already is because we’re seeing what impact it’s starting to have on the job market, as well [as] what impact it is starting to have on how people relate to the world around them, and that to me is of immense importance and I’m excited to see what kind of legislation comes out of it,” he concluded.