New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pushing back against the way the US-China artificial intelligence rivalry is being discussed, arguing that an international race over AI risks diverting attention from the technology's effects on workers and the public.
Speaking to reporters this week, Mamdani said AI should be regulated at every level and argued that the federal government needs to take a leading role. His comments come as US employers continue to cite AI in layoff announcements, although the figures do not show that every job cut is directly caused by the technology.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas said AI was cited in 120,136 announced job cuts in the US through September 2026, accounting for about 21% of all cuts recorded so far this year. Mamdani's comments focus on regulating AI and addressing its effects on workers, New Yorkers and the wider public, rather than treating competition with China as the sole priority.
Zohran Mamdani Challenges the US-China AI Race Narrative
Mamdani was asked about the growing focus on AI as an international competition with China and said that framing leaves out what the technology means for people in the US.
'I do think that the consistent framing of AI in the context of being in an arms race with China loses sight of the fact that this will have an impact on New Yorkers at every level of their lives as well as Americans, frankly,' he said.
He then pointed to the labour market as one area where those effects are already being discussed.
'It already is because we're seeing what impact it's starting to have on the job market,' Mamdani said, adding that AI is also affecting how people relate to the world around them.
That concern comes against a complicated employment picture. Challenger's latest figures show that AI was cited in 3,961 announced US job cuts in September, around 9% of that month's total.
Those numbers require some caution. An AI-linked layoff does not necessarily mean a company has confirmed that AI directly replaced the workers affected. The figures should therefore be treated as a measure of what employers cite when announcing cuts, rather than proof that AI directly replaced every affected worker.
The distinction matters because Mamdani's comments are about the consequences of AI for workers, while the available layoff data measures what employers cite when announcing workforce reductions.
Mamdani Calls for AI Regulation at Every Level
Mamdani's position extends beyond employment. He said AI should be subject to regulation at local, state and federal levels, while arguing that national action is particularly important because the technology affects people beyond New York City.
'I think that there has to be regulation of this technology at every single level,' Mamdani said. 'This is not a New York City-specific question. And therefore, I think the place where we need the most urgent response to this is at the national level.'
His administration has already taken steps affecting how AI is used in New York City. In September, the city announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for pupils from 2-K through eighth grade, covering nearly 600,000 public-school students.
Mamdani has also said his administration is developing rules concerning AI-altered apartment listings.
His comments also come during a wider debate over whether the US-China AI comparison captures the full picture. A Brookings analysis published in June argued that describing the relationship as an AI 'race' can oversimplify the different approaches taken by the two countries, noting differences in how AI development is funded and directed.
For Mamdani, however, the immediate question is what happens to Americans while that competition continues.
His remarks place employment, regulation and the everyday effects of AI alongside national technological ambitions, rather than treating the US-China rivalry as the only measure of progress.
