Elon Musk's SpaceX testifies at NYC Council meeting on AI safety

Elon Musk's SpaceX testified at a New York City Council meeting on artificial intelligence safety Friday after being subpoenaed by Council Speaker Julie Menin for failing to show up at a previous hearing on Oct. 5.

The SpaceX's artificial intelligence division said safety is its top priority as the company prepares to rebrand its AI platform Grok under the name "SpaceXAI Super Intelligence." 

"We train our models to refuse assistance with dangerous activity evaluated for risks," said Gabriela Castillo Madrid, senior manager of global government affairs at SpaceX, who appeared virtually before the council on Friday.

But Council Speaker Julie Menin challenged the company's safety claims, saying she tested Grok before the hearing by asking it to generate sexualized images of her.

"We put my own name into Grok, and there was absolutely a sexualized image of myself," Menin said.

When asked about the allegation, Castillo Madrid replied, "Madam Speaker, I can't speak to that specific instance."

Council members also pressed the company on the size of its AI safety team. Castillo Madrid said she did not have that information available during the hearing.

Former SpaceX engineer Devin Kim testified that during his time at the company, only three employees worked on AI safety. Kim said he was fired in September 2025 after raising concerns about the company's AI safeguards.

SpaceX was notably absent from an Oct. 5 City Council hearing on artificial intelligence attended by representatives from Anthropic, Meta and Google.

"I found their answers today wholly and completely unsatisfactory," Menin said after the hearing.

"All of the testimony that we heard today and last week really calls into question, more than ever, the need for strong, stringent, common-sense regulation," she added.

The hearing came as the council unveiled a 10-bill package aimed at regulating artificial intelligence. 

The proposals include prohibiting the unauthorized AI-generated depiction of public officials, requiring third-party validation of AI systems and mechanisms that allow humans to shut down AI models, strengthening chatbot data privacy protections and protecting whistleblowers such as Kim. 

Castillo Madrid said the company would review the proposed legislation.