PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kristen Gonzalez, New York State Senator, on MyCity Portal and Government Use of AI Technology
2:06:56
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3 min
State Senator Kristen Gonzalez criticizes the deployment of the MyCity chatbot and other experimental technologies by the NYC administration, emphasizing the need for thorough testing and regulation of government AI use. She argues that public funds should be used responsibly to maximize public good and improve lives.
- Highlights the passage of legislation on government use of AI through both houses of the New York State legislature
- Points out specific examples of problematic technology deployments, including the K5 Security Robot and Evolve AI weapon detection system
- Calls for higher standards in government technology adoption, prioritizing safety and responsibility
Kristen Gonzalez
2:06:56
Fantastic.
2:06:57
Thank you, council member, Gutierrez, for inviting me to share my statement at today's hearing.
2:07:01
I am New York State Senator Christine Gonzales representing Senate District 59, which consists of parts of Western Queens, Northern Brooklyn, and the east side of Manhattan.
2:07:11
As chair of the senate Internet, committee on Internet Technology, I passed legislation on government use of artificial intelligence this session through both houses of the New York State legislature.
2:07:22
At a time when trusting government and our democracy is at a low, it is of the utmost importance that any government use of technology be reliable.
2:07:31
However, despite warnings from experts that generative AI tools cannot be trusted to give accurate information in consequential context, the My City chatbot was rolled out in October of 2023.
2:07:43
Let me make one thing abundantly clear.
2:07:46
New York City made a major error in releasing the MyCity chatbot.
2:07:51
Using public dollars to deploy a chatbot that gives inaccurate information is exactly why we need clear regulation on government use of artificial intelligence prior to deployment.
2:08:02
This is not the first time, however, that this administration has invested in untested experimental tools that have failed to deliver on their promises.
2:08:10
In September 2023, mayor Adams announced the K Five Security Robot to patrol the Times Square subway station.
2:08:17
We don't know what it did, if anything.
2:08:19
And this robot that mayor Adams said would be part the fabric of our subway system was retired by February of 2024.
2:08:28
Mayor Adams also pushed 4 in one deployment of the evolve AI powered weapon detection system in subways despite company warnings that technology would not work well in our transit system.
2:08:40
On top of this, Evolve has been sued by their shareholders and is under a federal investigation for discrepancies between what they say about their technology and what it can actually do.
2:08:52
New Yorkers deserve better.
2:08:54
We deserve technology that has been tested and is of the highest possible quality.
2:08:58
We deserve our public dollars to be used to maximize public good.
2:09:02
We deserve an administration that will be responsive to these cerns.
2:09:07
Instead, mayor Adams refuses to take down this faulty tool because he cleans it needs to be in public hands to iron out the inks and that this is how it's done in tech.
2:09:18
I am here today to send a very clear message that how it's done in tech is certainly not how it should be done in government.
2:09:25
Our lives should not be made worse so that a product can be made better.
2:09:29
That is poor technology product development, and more importantly, poor governance.
2:09:35
Good technology is thoughtfully designed and thoroughly tested to minimize its negative impacts and to demonstrably improve lives.
2:09:42
Just as we vigorously test any other new tool before it is deployed, we must hold these new tech to the same standards.
2:09:50
I look forward to continuing to work on legislation on this issue and working across levels of government to ensure that our that our city and state government prioritizes safety and responsibility and technology, and I certainly wanna thank the work of this committee to asking really important questions that I know my constituents also have as we overlap around issues of privacy, the use of our public dollars, and having clear standards for things, especially like we heard today, the digital identity wallet.
2:10:16
Mhmm.
2:10:16
So again, I wanna deeply think committee.
2:10:18
I wanna thank the chair, and I look forward to working with you on on these issues.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:10:24
Thank you, Senator.
