New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin invited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to testify at a special hearing on AI safety. The formal invitations were sent on September 15, with the session scheduled for October 5.
The hearing will utilize a 'Committee of the Whole' format, involving all 51 members of the City Council. This structure is rare, marking only the second time the Council has employed it since 2022.
The initiative follows reports regarding AI model containment failures and potential risks. Both OpenAI and Anthropic maintain offices and lobbying operations within New York City.
The Council is considering potential legislation, including mandatory safety reporting, disclosure requirements for deployed AI systems, and restrictions on high-risk AI applications.
