SpaceX Agrees to Testify Before New York City Council
SpaceX will testify before the New York City Council this Friday following a subpoena standoff over AI safety, data privacy, and deepfake concerns.
The New York City Council secured an agreement from SpaceX to testify before the Committee on Technology this Friday at 10 a.m. ET. The agreement concludes a standoff that began on September 28, when Council Speaker Julie Menin and general counsel Nwamaka Ejebe issued a subpoena to Elon Musk and the company's AI unit.
SpaceX failed to appear at an October 5 hearing where competitors OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta provided testimony. This absence led the council to threaten court enforcement through a state Supreme Court judge. The investigation focuses on AI risks to cybersecurity, privacy, and public safety, specifically following reports that the Grok image generator enabled the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography.
City officials are evaluating whether immediate legislation is necessary to protect residents. Proposed safeguards include the implementation of human kill switches, whistleblower incentives, and mandatory outside validation of AI systems. Council members emphasized the need for transparency regarding data privacy and accountability measures as the company integrates xAI into its operations.
