NEW YORK CITY, October 17, 2026 — Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI appeared before the New York City Council’s Committee on Technology after being subpoenaed to address AI safety concerns. The hearing followed weeks of pressure on the company to explain its safeguards, data privacy practices, and accountability measures amid growing scrutiny of advanced AI systems.
SpaceXAI Testifies After Subpoena
SpaceXAI testified before the Council on Friday, October 16, 2026, after initially ignoring demands to appear. Council Speaker Julie Menin issued the subpoena following the company’s refusal to participate in earlier hearings where OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, and Meta had presented testimony. Menin said self-regulation is not enough and the public deserves to know who is responsible when AI systems fail. SpaceXAI spokesperson Gabriela Castillo Madrid stated that safety is a priority and emphasized that “People stay in control at every stage. We do not release models we do not believe are safe.”
Council Weighs 10 AI Bills
Lawmakers are considering 10 bills to regulate AI in New York City, including a prohibition on the unauthorized depiction of public officials by AI. Other proposals under discussion include third-party validation requirements, mechanisms for human shutdown of AI models, and chatbot data privacy protections. Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa accused SpaceX of trying to circumvent the city’s public conversation on AI dangers, noting the importance of robust context on data privacy and whistleblower protections given Musk’s influence at the federal level.
Whistleblower Warns of Existential Risk
Whistleblower Coxon, who left Anthropic last month, warned Council members that there is a “greater than 10% chance” that AI could wipe out humanity. He described industry practices as “extremely reckless given the stakes,” criticizing the startup mindset of “move fast, break things, fix them later” as inappropriate for developing the most powerful technology ever built. Coxon testified before the Council last week, urging lawmakers to impose stronger safeguards on AI development.
SpaceXAI Structure and Products
SpaceXAI consists of Musk’s rocket and satellite business as well as his xAI artificial intelligence unit, which went public in June 2026. The company became a subsidiary of SpaceX in February 2026 and operates X and Cursor via subsidiaries. Its primary products are the Grok family of language, image, and video models. The hearing marked the first time SpaceXAI appeared before a governmental body to address AI safety and regulation following increased public and legislative concern over the rapid deployment of generative AI systems. Watch this space as New York City moves toward potential AI accountability measures that could influence national policy.
Subpoena Timeline and Legal Pressure
Council Speaker Julie Menin issued the subpoena to SpaceXAI on September 28, 2026, after the company ignored an initial demand to testify. The Council warned it would file a petition with the New York State Supreme Court to enforce the subpoena unless SpaceXAI complied. This marked the first time the City Council issued a subpoena to a private entity.
SpaceXAI agreed to testify on October 13, 2026, following the legal pressure, with the hearing ultimately taking place on October 16, 2026. The company had previously declined to send a representative to earlier hearings where OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, and Meta appeared.
Whistleblower Coxon Details Industry Recklessness
Whistleblower Coxon, who left Anthropic last month, warned Council members that there is a “greater than 10% chance” that AI could wipe out humanity. He described industry practices as “extremely reckless given the stakes,” criticizing the startup mindset of “move fast, break things, fix them later” as inappropriate for developing the most powerful technology ever built.
Coxon testified before the Council last week, urging lawmakers to impose stronger safeguards on AI development. He stated that from his experience, companies are being extremely reckless given the stakes, and that the startup mindset works for a photo sharing app but not for building the most powerful technology ever built.
Sources
- Musk's AI company testifies before NYC Council as lawmakers weigh AI restrictions
- Elon Musk's SpaceX to testify at NYC Council meeting on AI safety
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX set to testify at NYC Council hearing on AI safety after getting subpoena
