Ex-Anthropic researcher Coxon to testify alongside AI giants at NYC hearing

Former Anthropic (ANTHRO) researcher Jacob Coxon, who warned that artificial intelligence could become too powerful for humans to control, is set to testify Monday at a New York City Council hearing alongside representatives from some major AI companies, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

Coxon will appear at the request of Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has called on AI whistleblowers to testify as city lawmakers consider a package of bills aimed at establishing safeguards around the technology, according to people familiar with the matter.

Coxon left Anthropic last month and warned about the race to develop increasingly powerful AI, accusing his former employer and OpenAI of “gambling with our lives.” He has confirmed that he plans to testify Monday.

The hearing will also bring some of the industry’s most outspoken critics together with representatives from Anthropic, OpenAI (OPENAI), Alphabet's (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google, and Meta Platforms (META).

Former Google DeepMind researcher Alex Turner and Daniel Kokotajlo, executive director of the AI Futures Project and a former OpenAI researcher, are also expected to testify, according to one of the people. The four major AI companies will send policy and safety officials, the person said.

Turner confirmed to Bloomberg that he plans to attend the hearing.

The hearing comes as New York officials seek a greater role in regulating an industry that has rapidly expanded in the city, even as much of AI regulation remains under the purview of federal and state governments.

One proposal sponsored by Menin would give whistleblowers a share of fines or penalties recovered from AI companies following reported violations. Other measures would allow people harmed by AI systems to sue developers under certain circumstances and require third-party validation of some AI systems before they can be deployed in the city.

OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google agreed to appear after Menin’s office warned they could face subpoenas, while Meta had already committed to attending, Bloomberg News previously reported. The Council also subpoenaed SpaceX’s (SPCX) AI unit after the company failed to respond to requests to appear.