Governing AI for Workers and Consumers: NYC’s Public Approach

The boom in artificial intelligence (AI) and construction of data centers has dominated recent debate about the future of working class stability in New York City and across the country. As AI reshapes labor markets, consumer transactions, and the basic infrastructure of daily life, the federal government has largely ceded the field to industry self-regulation. But New York City can choose a different path, using existing tools to protect workers and consumers and deploying new, common-sense guardrails against corporations that hide behind platforms, interfaces, and chatbots to evade responsibility.

Join the New York City Policy Forum with co-sponsors the CUNY School of Law W. Haywood Burns Program in Human & Civil Rights, the Roosevelt Institute, and the Climate and Community Institute on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM. Department of Worker and Consumer Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Sam Levine will give a keynote address and join a discussion about New York City’s approach to AI with Amba Kak, Co-Executive Director of the independent research institute AI Now, moderated by writer Edward Ongweso Jr. They will discuss what the rise of AI means for working families navigating a historic affordability crisis in New York City and how the levers of local government can be harnessed to fight for a more equal, responsible economy.