The New York City Council has subpoenaed SpaceXAI after Elon Musk’s company failed to respond to requests to testify at an upcoming hearing on artificial intelligence safety.
Council Speaker Julie Menin authorised the subpoena requiring SpaceXAI to appear before the council after the company did not respond to an invitation to send a representative to the 5 October hearing.
The subpoena marks Menin’s first use of the council’s subpoena power since becoming speaker.
Menin had invited Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta Platforms and SpaceXAI to participate in the hearing. Meta agreed to attend, while Anthropic, OpenAI and Google confirmed their participation after the council warned that it could issue subpoenas.
In a letter to Musk, Menin said the investigation would examine whether risks associated with AI warranted legislation to protect New York City residents.
“Leading experts and AI executives themselves are warning about the potentially grave risks of rapidly advancing AI, and governments have a responsibility to act,” Menin said.
She said the companies should appear before the council, answer questions and provide input under oath on proposed legislation.
The hearing will bring together all 51 council members, representatives of the AI companies and experts in AI safety and consumer protection.
The council said warnings from whistleblowers and AI executives, along with reports that AI agents had damaged government databases, had prompted the investigation.
Among the proposals lawmakers will consider are independent checks of AI systems before deployment, incentives for whistleblowers and a legal right for New Yorkers harmed by AI technology to take action.
The council said SpaceXAI could face enforcement proceedings in the New York State Supreme Court and civil contempt sanctions if it fails to comply with the subpoena.
SpaceXAI was created in February 2026 when Musk combined SpaceX with xAI, the company behind the Grok chatbot and social network X.
The company completed its initial public offering in June 2026, selling 555.6 million shares at $135 each.
