Does New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani worry we’re in an AI bubble? Yes. Does he trust AI industry leaders? No.
Read WIRED's full interview with Mamdani for his stance on data centers, AI in schools, and the future of the Democratic party. And subscribe to or follow Uncanny Valley wherever you get your podcasts.
You've supported New York State setting a one-year pause
I mean, what to you is the solve for this?
is a recognition of the costs that come with AI.
So much of what we are talking about
is based on a very limited amount of information
that we have, and that is by design
about these incredibly powerful companies,
we also are talking about a level of opacity
for us to make an informed conclusion
is actually costing us as a society.
You mean sort of an absence of data about energy use
or do you mean the idea that this technology
is sort of mythical rather than infrastructure?
there's an attempt to make this technology
seem as if it is mythical or as if it is divine.
in the idea that this is so complicated
should be that we trust those who created it.
And in many ways, it's what Facebook was arguing in 2008,
that they should be able to regulate themselves.
is a response that grasps the scale
and the incentives that are driving
a lot of this technology at this time.
And the fact that we are now at a point
where there are far too many similarities
and the state of AI in our economy today.
Do you trust the Sam Altmans of the world?
Do you trust the Sam Altmans of the world?
I'm not the one being interviewed, but no, I don't.
