Mamdani says federal government has abandoned AI regulation

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said federal officials have largely stepped back from regulating artificial intelligence, urging New Yorkers to resist the idea that AI’s growing role in society is inevitable.

Speaking Monday at The People’s AI Assembly in Manhattan, hosted by the AI Now Institute, Mamdani said public officials should hold AI companies accountable. Activist and “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer asked him about the technology’s effects on society. Mamdani said people should not feel powerless as AI affects jobs, children and public life.

He cited two city policies. Last month, he ordered a ban on AI use in elementary and middle schools. Over the summer, he introduced a policy requiring landlords, brokers and real estate platforms to disclose when listing photos or videos are AI-generated.

Mamdani also pointed to a February U.S. military strike on a school in Iran that killed more than 150 people, including at least 123 children. Bloomberg reported that officials involved in the Pentagon’s internal investigation identified overreliance on AI targeting as one factor in the attack.

He criticized federal policy for framing AI mainly as competition with China and said a different approach to AI accountability would be needed after the current administration. President Donald Trump’s Superintelligence Task Force, announced earlier this month, focuses largely on allowing AI companies to self-regulate, according to the source.