On Tuesday, SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, agreed to provide testimony before the New York City Council concerning safety risks related to artificial intelligence. This decision came after the company received a subpoena, as stated by Council Speaker Julie Menin.
SpaceX will send a representative to testify this Friday. Last week, the company skipped an AI safety hearing that included virtual appearances from officials at competing companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Meta. Several safety experts and whistleblowers, including former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, attended the session. Menin, a Democrat from Manhattan, expressed that SpaceX’s decision to not participate was “unacceptable.”
“New Yorkers and the public deserve to hear directly from the companies behind this influential technology about how they are protecting people and how they will be held accountable if their safety measures fail,” she stated.
“Self-regulation isn’t enough, so I’m pleased that SpaceX has committed to appear before us next week,” Menin added.
The City Council initially issued a subpoena to compel SpaceX’s presence on September 28, not long after the other four companies agreed to the hearing. When SpaceX disregarded this request, the Council warned that it would take legal action to enforce the subpoena if compliance was not met.
It remains uncertain who will represent SpaceX at the upcoming hearing. The Post has attempted to contact company officials for clarification.
Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa, who leads the committee on technology, accused SpaceX of “trying to avoid public discussion” about the risks associated with AI.
“Given the prevalence of Elon Musk’s technology on a federal level, it’s crucial they bring valuable insight on data privacy, safety measures, and protections for whistleblowers to the table,” she remarked.
Coxon, who left Anthropic last month, warned during the previous hearing that there was “more than a 10% chance” that AI could lead to humanity’s extinction. He told Council members that the AI industry was acting “extremely recklessly given the stakes.”
“Based on my experience, companies are being incredibly reckless,” the young whistleblower remarked during the hearing. “They operate with a startup mentality: move quickly, make mistakes, and fix things afterward. That approach might work for a photo-sharing app, but it’s inappropriate for developing such powerful technology.”
SpaceX, which includes Musk’s rocket and satellite operations along with his xAI unit, went public in June.
