New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced concerns on Monday about the federal government's lack of action on AI regulation, urging New Yorkers to take a stand against the notion that AI's rapid expansion and its impacts on jobs and education are unavoidable. Speaking at The People’s AI Assembly hosted by the AI Now Institute, Mamdani emphasized that the rollout of AI technology should not be accepted passively but instead met with demands for accountability and protective regulations. His administration has already taken steps such as banning AI in elementary and middle schools and proposing policies requiring disclosure when real estate listings use AI-generated images, addressing potential public harms from deceptive practices.

Mamdani criticized the federal government's framing of AI development largely as a national competition, particularly with China, which sidelines human-centered safety and ethical concerns. Highlighting a tragic U.S. military strike on an Iranian school in February, where AI’s role in targeting contributed to the deaths of more than 150 people including 123 children, he argued that reliance on AI without rigorous oversight has deadly consequences. The mayor also noted that major AI companies resist external regulation, prioritizing commercial interests and avoiding accountability ahead of planned public market debuts, like Anthropic’s expected IPO this year and OpenAI’s in 2027.

The recent federal approach, including President Donald Trump’s newly announced Superintelligence Task Force, largely promotes self-regulation by powerful AI firms rather than imposing strict legal controls. Mamdani warned that this abdication of federal responsibility leaves cities and states to address AI’s risks and called for a fundamental shift in how accountability and governance for AI are handled in the next U.S. administration. He encouraged local activism to reclaim power from large tech organizations that currently dominate the AI landscape without sufficient oversight.

Mamdani’s statements come amid growing public unease about AI’s creeping presence in sensitive areas such as education and housing, where the technology’s unregulated use threatens privacy, fairness, and safety. His advocacy reflects a broader movement demanding meaningful government intervention to manage AI’s societal impacts, pushing back against complacency and the myth of AI inevitability. As municipal leaders like Mamdani step into regulatory gaps, their actions are shaping the frontline of AI governance in the United States.