AI Whistleblower to Testify Before NYC Council
Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, who stirred significant concern in the tech industry by warning that AI could potentially lead to human extinction, is expected to give testimony at a New York City Council hearing on Monday, according to reports.
Coxon’s appearance comes at the request of Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has been advocating for AI whistleblowers to share their insights as the city looks to increase its involvement in regulating the sector, as noted by Bloomberg.
Alongside him, ex-Google DeepMind researcher Alex Turner and Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI researcher who currently leads the AI Futures Project focusing on the societal effects of AI, are also slated to testify, sources tell Bloomberg.
Representatives from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Meta will be present, sharing the space with critics of their companies. However, the tech giants are opting to send policy leaders and other executives rather than their CEOs.
Last month, Coxon resigned from Anthropic, issuing a stark warning about the rapid pace of AI development, suggesting that it “could kill us all by the end of the decade,” which has accelerated discussions regarding necessary precautions and regulations.
In a notable response, leaders from leading AI companies called for stricter regulations on their products, emphasizing the need for global collaboration to control increasingly autonomous AI systems.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, wrote an extensive piece urging competitors to collectively slow their AI model advancements due to the dangers associated with “recursive self-improvement,” where systems could become self-evolving.
Other influential figures like OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Elon Musk of SpaceX, and Microsoft’s Bill Gates have also raised alarms about the hazards tied to unregulated AI progress.
Conversely, former President Trump has expressed the view that the greater risk lies in allowing China to outpace the U.S. in AI development by imposing too many restrictions domestically.
Reports indicate that the tech giants agreed to appear at Monday’s hearing after lawmakers issued threats of subpoenas to ensure their participation.
Menin mentioned that Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic shifted their stance and agreed to attend only after the council indicated it might use its subpoena power.
During the hearing, NYC lawmakers and tech executives will discuss a set of bills aimed at overseeing AI companies operating in the city. Proposals include implementing “kill switches” and offering significant financial rewards for whistleblowers.
While the industry is usually governed by state and federal regulations, New York City is taking steps to protect and regulate this rapidly evolving technology within its confines.
Following recent announcements from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the state will begin requiring AI firms to register in a government database starting in November and to report major safety incidents within a 72-hour window.
The City Council’s suggestions include a requirement that companies cannot “market, offer for sale, or deploy” AI technologies in the city without proper vetting from external experts.
Additionally, there’s a proposed law mandating the presence of “kill switches” for any AI system in use, defined as a mechanism for human intervention to disable the technology.
Noncompliance with these regulations may incur fines of up to $25,000.
Another proposed bill could establish a pioneering cash reward system for whistleblowers, financed by penalties from noncompliant entities.
Officials from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, including Samuel Levine, the commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and Sarah Milstein from the tech office, are also set to give their testimonies during the hearing.
