Four AI Companies Testified Under Oath in New York. Asked If They Carry Insurance Against a Catastrophe, Nobody Raised a Hand. Musk's Company Didn't Show Up at All

USA Today reported Monday that policy chiefs from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta testified under oath before the New York City Council and could not say how likely an AI catastrophe

is.

All 51 council members sat for it, which almost never happens.

Speaker Julie Menon says it is the first time a legislative body anywhere has compelled the top AI labs to answer under oath.

But this is a city council we're talking about.

The body that handles parking and trash pickup is grilling the companies building the most powerful AI on Earth?

Menon's answer is that New York licenses barbershops and nail salons, and the AI sold in the city has less oversight than either.

She invited the chief executives themselves, got policy staffers on video, and three of the four only agreed after she threatened subpoenas.

And that's only four

companies.

Where was Elon Musk's?

SpaceX AI, the AI unit of SpaceX, got a subpoena and didn't show.

Menon called that a direct violation and says the council will go to state court to enforce it.

So what did the four who showed up actually say? Politico kept score.

Could they put a number on the odds of a catastrophe? Did they carry insurance against one? Who would be responsible if it happened? And would they stop a model that failed a test? The answers were can't say, don't know, unclear and not sure.

USA Today reported Monday that policy chiefs from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta testified under oath before the New York City Council and could not say how likely an AI catastrophe

is.

All 51 council members sat for it, which almost never happens.

Speaker Julie Menon says it is the first time a legislative body anywhere has compelled the top AI labs to answer under oath.

But this is a city council we're talking about.

The body that handles parking and trash pickup is grilling the companies building the most powerful AI on Earth?

Menon's answer is that New York licenses barbershops and nail salons, and the AI sold in the city has less oversight than either.

She invited the chief executives themselves, got policy staffers on video, and three of the four only agreed after she threatened subpoenas.

And that's only four

companies.

Where was Elon Musk's?

SpaceX AI, the AI unit of SpaceX, got a subpoena and didn't show.

Menon called that a direct violation and says the council will go to state court to enforce it.

So what did the four who showed up actually say? Politico kept score.

Could they put a number on the odds of a catastrophe? Did they carry insurance against one? Who would be responsible if it happened? And would they stop a model that failed a test? The answers were can't say, don't know, unclear and not sure.