Mamdani says federal government has abdicated on AI, urges pushback

A conversation on AI at Webster Hall

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and activist and "Broad City" star Ilana Glazer spoke about AI at Webster Hall in Manhattan on Monday night. Glazer put questions to the mayor about the future of AI in society, according to the AI Now Institute's account of the evening.

The event was The People's AI Assembly, hosted by the AI Now Institute, a think tank that explores the social implications of AI. The source describes the two speakers as "two of New York's sweethearts".

Mamdani's message: AI is not inevitable

Mamdani argued that the rapid rollout of the technology is not inevitable. He said public officials should hold AI companies accountable, rather than treating the spread of AI as something that simply has to be accepted.

The headline of the piece also frames his position as a criticism of Washington: he says the federal government has abdicated on AI and urges New Yorkers to push back.

Cities left to act on their own

According to the article, his message came at a moment when the federal government is doing little to regulate AI, leaving cities to act on their own. That context shapes the argument: with limited federal rules, local leaders and residents are being asked to take a more active role in setting expectations for AI companies.

The source is a short summary of a longer article, which the AI Now Institute links from its post. It does not detail specific policies, laws or measures that the mayor proposed, so it is not clear from this text what concrete steps New York City might take.

What it means

The event shows a major city's mayor publicly taking the view that AI deployment is a matter for democratic accountability, not a given. For residents, the message is an invitation to push back. Whether that translates into local rules or enforcement is not stated in the source.