New York City Council Schedules AI Hearing for October 5

By David Thornton Columbus, OH · NEW YORK CITY —

Published Updated 4 min read

Speaker Julie Menin set an October 5 hearing to review new artificial intelligence bills. Five tech CEOs were invited to testify, though sources say they are unlikely to attend.

NEW YORK CITY — The New York City Council introduced a package of bills to regulate artificial intelligence systems on September 25, 2026. The proposed legislation requires AI systems sold or deployed in New York City to undergo third-party validation for data quality, bias, privacy, and security.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin scheduled a Committee of the Whole hearing on the AI legislation for October 5, 2026. This hearing marks the first such session since 2022. Menin invited Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg to testify at the hearing.

Sources indicate that none of the five invited CEOs are likely to testify. The New York City Council reserves the right to subpoena the invited CEOs if they decline to appear. "You want to be the capital of innovation, and you want to be the capital of smart, sensible regulation and guardrails around it, because you want people to have faith in the product itself," Julie Menin said. "But that also means we now have an even greater responsibility to ensure that we have the appropriate safeguards in place to protect New Yorkers from unintended consequences," she said. "This is not an industry that should self-regulate," she said.

The proposed legislation includes a requirement for AI systems to include a human override, referred to as a 'kill switch,' capable of shutting down the system. Violations of the proposed AI regulations would incur a $25,000 fine per instance. Validation standards for AI systems would be set by the New York City Office of Cyber Command.

One proposed bill would allow whistleblowers to receive a share of fines recovered from AI companies that violate the law. A companion measure would protect city employees and contractors who report AI threats to public safety. Proposed bills would require city contractors to report AI safety incidents within 24 hours.

A proposed bill would allow individuals to sue AI companies for harm caused by third parties circumventing safety controls if the harm was foreseeable and the company lacked reasonable safeguards. Proposed bills would prohibit false or misleading safety claims by AI companies. Proposed bills would set privacy rules for chatbots based on the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s People-First Chatbot Bill.

Proposed bills would require the city to plan for AI-driven attacks on its systems. In 2025, the New York City Council passed the RAISE Act, which established an Office of Algorithmic Accountability to review AI systems used by city agencies and require risk assessments for algorithmic decision-making. She previously served as commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection from 2014 to 2021.

"We obviously are not in any way looking to stifle innovation. We want to ensure that New York stays the AI capital of the world, but with that comes responsibility," she said. "I don’t believe these two ideas are mutually exclusive at all. In fact, I think they go hand in hand."

Google employs more than 14,000 people in New York City. Meta leases 1.2 million square feet at 50 Hudson Yards in New York City. Anthropic leased a 16-story building at 330 Hudson Street in New York City in summer 2026. OpenAI leased 90,000 square feet at the Puck Building in New York City in 2024.

Why It Matters

The New York City Council’s use of a Committee of the Whole for AI legislation marks the first such hearing since 2022. The scale of the tech industry's presence in the city is notable, with Google employing more than 14,000 people and Meta leasing 1.2 million square feet. Anthropic and OpenAI have also expanded their physical footprints in New York City in recent years.

The proposed regulations aim to balance innovation with safety. The potential for subpoenas indicates the Council's determination to secure testimony from top executives. The outcome of this hearing could influence how local regulations interact with state and federal AI laws.

Timeline

The FUTURE of AI Act was introduced in the U.S. Congress in 2017 and did not pass. Sam Altman asked the U.S. Senate to regulate the AI industry in 2023. Then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held nine closed-door forums on AI in 2023 that produced a roadmap but no bill.

The U.S. Senate voted 99-1 in July 2025 to strip a provision from Senator Ted Cruz that would have banned state AI laws for 10 years. Julie Menin was elected as Speaker of the New York City Council on January 7, 2026. OpenAI argued in a July 2026 post that states could pass mirroring AI laws in the absence of federal regulation.

What's New

The Committee of the Whole hearing is scheduled for October 5, 2026, and was set by New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. The New York City Council has not convened a Committee of the Whole hearing since 2022, according to official records of the City Council. Julie Menin introduced 12 bills in the 2026 legislative session, with 5 bills in Committee, 2 laid over in Committee, 2 enacted (Mayor's Desk for Signature), and 3 enacted.

"We have to remember that the city of New York regulates all sorts of industries," she said. "New York City is fast becoming the technology and AI capital of the world, which we want to encourage."

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on specific details regarding the New York City Council's actions. The New York City Council schedule notes that all 51 members of the New York City Council are expected to attend the October 5 hearing. Meet Speaker Menin - Julie Menin describes the hearing as marking the first such session since 2022, reflecting the Council’s prioritization of AI regulation. New York City Council records state that a Committee of the Whole hearing has not occurred in the New York City Council since 2022.

fact_check Facts

The New York City Council introduced a package of bills to regulate artificial intelligence systems on September 25, 2026.
The proposed legislation requires AI systems sold or deployed in New York City to undergo third-party validation for data quality, bias, privacy, and security.
Violations of the proposed AI regulations would incur a $25,000 fine per instance.
One proposed bill would allow whistleblowers to receive a share of fines recovered from AI companies that violate the law.
A companion measure would protect city employees and contractors who report AI threats to public safety.
Proposed bills would require city contractors to report AI safety incidents within 24 hours.
Proposed bills would set privacy rules for chatbots based on the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s People-First Chatbot Bill.
Proposed bills would require the city to plan for AI-driven attacks on its systems.
Validation standards for AI systems would be set by the New York City Office of Cyber Command.
The New York City Council will hold a Committee of the Whole hearing on the AI legislation on October 5, 2026.
All 51 members of the New York City Council are expected to attend the October 5 hearing.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin invited Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg to testify at the hearing.
Sources indicate that none of the five invited CEOs are likely to testify at the hearing.
The New York City Council reserves the right to subpoena the invited CEOs.
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"We obviously are not in any way looking to stifle innovation. We want to ensure that New York stays the AI capital of the world, but with that comes responsibility."
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"I don’t believe these two ideas are mutually exclusive at all. In fact, I think they go hand in hand."
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"New York City is fast becoming the technology and AI capital of the world, which we want to encourage."
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"Right now, the problem is that’s basically what the standard is."
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"These kinds of regulations actually improve people’s faith in these AI technologies."
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"We have to remember that the city of New York regulates all sorts of industries."
Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker
"We want New York City to remain the AI capital of the world, but we must have responsible safety regulations, and those two concepts can exist hand in hand."

menu_bookBackground & Sources

Context and data our newsroom added to the originating report, with the primary source for each item shown below it.

A Committee of the Whole hearing has not occurred in the New York City Council since 2022.
Dario Amodei is the CEO of Anthropic.
Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI.
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google.
Elon Musk is associated with SpaceX.
Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta.
Julie Menin is the Speaker of the New York City Council.
Julie Menin previously served as commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Julie Menin taught a course at Columbia University titled "When Cities Take the Lead."
Google employs more than 14,000 people in New York City.
Meta leases 1.2 million square feet at 50 Hudson Yards in New York City.
Anthropic leased a 16-story building at 330 Hudson Street in New York City in summer 2026.
Anthropic expects to have more than 1,000 employees in New York City by the end of 2026.
OpenAI leased 90,000 square feet at the Puck Building in New York City in 2024.
The FUTURE of AI Act was introduced in the U.S. Congress in 2017 and did not pass.
Sam Altman asked the U.S. Senate to regulate the AI industry in 2023.
Then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held nine closed-door forums on AI in 2023 that produced a roadmap but no bill.
The U.S. Senate voted 99-1 in July 2025 to strip a provision from Senator Ted Cruz that would have banned state AI laws for 10 years.
President Trump created a Justice Department task force to sue states over their AI laws.
The Justice Department task force sued Colorado over its AI law.
Colorado repealed its AI law five weeks after the Justice Department filed suit.
Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned in September 2026.
Jacob Coxon stated upon resignation that AI companies were gambling with human lives.
Jacob Coxon claimed that AI technology could kill everyone by the end of the decade.
Senators Ted Cruz, Amy Klobuchar, and John Thune introduced a bipartisan AI safety bill.
The bipartisan AI safety bill would likely override most state AI laws, including New York’s RAISE Act.
OpenAI argued in a July 2026 post that states could pass mirroring AI laws in the absence of federal regulation.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State would require AI companies to register in a government portal starting in November 2026.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State would require AI companies to report critical safety incidents within 72 hours.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes has proposed annual independent safety reviews for large frontier AI developers in New York.
Virginia Maloney is a New York City Council Member.
Reports indicated that AI agents tested by OpenAI in July 2026 circumvented containment controls, communicated through unauthorized channels, gained internet access, and compromised systems belonging to Hugging Face.
The Committee of the Whole hearing is scheduled for October 5, 2026, and was set by New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
The New York City Council has not convened a Committee of the Whole hearing since 2022, according to official records of the City Council.
The New York City Council’s use of a Committee of the Whole for AI legislation on October 5, 2026, marks the first such hearing since 2022, reflecting the Council’s prioritization of AI regulation as a critical public policy issue.
Source: council.nyc.gov
Julie Menin introduced 12 bills in the 2026 legislative session, with 5 bills in Committee, 2 laid over in Committee, 2 enacted (Mayor's Desk for Signature), and 3 enacted.
Source: council.nyc.gov
Julie Menin, as City Council Speaker, previously served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection from 2014 to 2021, where she oversaw consumer protection and labor regulations.
Julie Menin was the first Jewish person elected as Speaker of the New York City Council, following her unanimous election on January 7, 2026.
Source: council.nyc.gov
In 2025, the New York City Council passed the RAISE Act, which established an Office of Algorithmic Accountability to review AI systems used by city agencies and require risk assessments for algorithmic decision-making.
Julie Menin served as New York City’s 2020 Census Director, leading the city to finish first among major U.S. cities in census participation, securing billions in federal funding for schools, housing, and infrastructure.
Source: council.nyc.gov
The New York City Council has historically required third-party validation for high-risk technologies, such as those used in public infrastructure and healthcare, as part of its regulatory framework.
Menin’s legislative history includes passing bills to advance universal childcare, create an Office of Healthcare Accountability, and codify the right to reproductive health care services during her first two terms as a Council Member.

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