NEW YORK — City Council Speaker Julie Menin pressed representatives of four major artificial intelligence companies about safety testing, catastrophic risks and corporate responsibility during a hearing Monday, Oct. 5, before the 51-member council. The company representatives appeared virtually. Menin said the representatives could not quantify the risk of a catastrophic event or say whether their companies would release models that failed internal safety reviews or outside validation. She also said they did not answer whether they carried catastrophic insurance or should be liable for deaths, injuries or other major damage. The hearing put Menin at the forefront of New York City’s debate over AI regulation. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said the technology should be regulated at the federal level, while city lawmakers are examining what oversight and accountability could look like locally. The exchange comes as questions about the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems draw attention from policymakers. The hearing’s focus on testing, insurance and liability raises practical concerns for New Yorkers about who bears responsibility if AI systems cause serious harm.