Mamdani: AI bubble like housing bubble, doesn't trust "Sam Altmans"

Mamdani's remarks come as he has become one of the most influential figures on the American left, with an approval rating among Big Apple voters at 69 percent. In the interview, he linked his skepticism about AI to a broader critique of governing politics: that the risks of the technology are borne by the public while the rewards go to a handful of powerful companies. He pointed to the energy demands of AI, saying that training a version of ChatGPT took the same amount of energy it would take to power all of San Francisco for three days.

He also described an asymmetry of information, arguing that AI companies operate with a level of opacity that makes it almost impossible for the public to judge what a query actually costs society. That view underpins his support for New York state's one-year pause on data center construction. He noted that municipalities in California have started to ban data center construction entirely, and he framed the opposition as cutting across typical political lines, citing a similar stance from Ron DeSantis.

On schools, Mamdani said his administration put forward one of the most comprehensive AI moratoriums in any American school system, banning generative AI for students from 2K through eighth grade. He argued students need room to try and fail and learn. The interview also touched on his endorsement of Governor Hochul, whom he credited with delivering $1.2 billion on the eighth day of his administration to make universal childcare a reality for 2-year-olds in the city.