New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin issued a subpoena on September 28 seeking testimony from Elon Musk's SpaceXAI at an October 5 Committee of the Whole hearing on artificial intelligence, according to a Council press release. The Council says SpaceXAI had not responded to its request to appear voluntarily.
Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta agreed to appear before the Council. The release says the October 5 hearing will convene all 51 Council members to examine potential AI risks and proposed safeguards, including measures concerning whistleblowers, harm from AI agents and third-party validation. The Council also plans to hear from AI safety, technology and consumer-protection experts.
The Council says its authority to require attendance and testimony comes from Section 29 of the New York City Charter and Council Rule 7.150. If SpaceXAI does not comply, the Council may seek enforcement in New York State Supreme Court. The subpoena is a demand for testimony, not a court judgment or evidence that the company violated a law. The hearing and any enforcement remain future events.