Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon to testify at NYC Council hearing on AI risks
The ex-Anthropic staffer who warned AI companies are gambling with our lives will face lawmakers alongside representatives from the industry he left
Jacob Coxon spent his time at Anthropic helping build advanced AI. Now he is heading to City Hall to warn New York lawmakers about it.
The former Anthropic researcher is set to testify at a New York City Council hearing on AI safety risks on October 5, 2026. Representatives from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Meta are expected to appear at the same session.
What the hearing looks like
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the hearing. It will run as a Committee of the Whole, meaning all 51 council members are involved rather than a single subcommittee.
The council sent letters to the chief executives of four major AI companies inviting them to attend. The recipients were Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta.
Not everyone responded the way the council hoped. SpaceXAI was served with a subpoena on or around September 30, 2026, after legal action was initiated against the company over non-compliance.
According to the research findings, the hearing is the first time a US legislative body has compelled sworn testimony on AI safety. Non-compliance carries the prospect of serious legal consequences.
The bills on the table
Lawmakers plan to use the session to weigh several proposed legislative measures. Three stand out.
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The first would require third-party validation of AI systems used in the city.
The second would create what the proposals describe as nation-leading whistleblower incentives. The goal is to reward insiders who flag dangerous practices inside AI labs.
The third would give individuals the right to sue for damages caused by AI systems.
Why Coxon matters here
Coxon resigned from Anthropic around September 8-9, 2026. His public statement on the way out has been viewed over 173 million times.
In that statement, he characterized AI companies as “gambling with our lives.” He also cautioned that the technology could kill everyone by the end of the decade.
According to the research findings, his resignation significantly fueled the push for the hearing.
He is not the only Anthropic voice raising alarms. Evan Hubinger of Anthropic has expressed concerns similar to Coxon’s, estimating a greater than 10% probability that AI could be lethal to humanity within a decade.
The research findings describe these warnings as reflecting a growing consensus among some Anthropic researchers about the existential dangers of advanced AI. The fears cited include risks comparable to bioweapons and a total loss of human control.
Coxon’s narrative has not gone unchallenged. Skeptics have raised concerns about his association with a PR firm linked to AI safety advocacy, claims he has refuted.