SpaceXAI testified at New York City Council AI-safety hearing

Between September 15 and 17, Menin asked five companies to voluntarily testify publicly before the Council.[1] Anthropic, Google, Meta and OpenAI agreed to testify at an earlier hearing, while SpaceXAI declined.[1] The Council-wide hearing lasted nearly 10 hours, with 46 Council members participating during the day.[1] SpaceXAI later requested a meeting with the Council on October 7 and agreed to appear at an upcoming hearing.[1] Menin said the company agreed after she subpoenaed it and discussed seeking court enforcement.[1] The Council described the subpoena as its first on record against a private actor.[2]

SpaceXAI’s witness was Gabriela Castillo Madrid, its senior manager of global government affairs.[2] Menin told Castillo Madrid that she had created a sexualized image of herself within seconds using Grok.[2] Castillo Madrid said she could not speak to the images, but that her safety team could investigate the specific instance.[2] Menin said the testimony was unacceptable and raised more questions than it answered.[2] The Council said SpaceXAI representatives were unable to answer basic questions about user privacy, anti-harassment guardrails, whistleblower protections and risks from rogue operations.[2]

Intro 504 would allow elected officials and candidates to notify AI-system owners in writing that they do not authorize manipulated media depicting their likeness.[3] A covered entity violating the proposed law could face a misdemeanor charge and a fine of up to $2,500 per depiction.[3] The Council described a related bill as one that would ban unauthorized AI depictions of elected officials.[2] A committee hearing on Intro 504 was held on October 5, 2026.[3] These are proposed measures; the evidence does not establish that either proposal has become law.

SpaceXAI whistleblower Devin Kim alleged that the company terminated him after he raised safety concerns about Grok.[2] The Council said only three of SpaceXAI’s 200 technical employees worked on AI safety training.[2] Another bill discussed by the Council would let whistleblowers receive a portion of fines or penalties recovered from AI companies that break the law.[2] Every Council member had the opportunity to attend the SpaceXAI hearing and question the company.[1] The hearing took place in the Council Chambers at City Hall in Manhattan.[4]