Beta NYC's Noelle Hidalgo on AI power, data access, and COPIC
Noelle Hidalgo, executive director of Beta NYC, says AI is a question of power. He reports that city language models didn't know Local Law 188 and that NYC.gov inconsistent policies block automated visitors, and recommends funding the OAA and reviving COPIC.
Hi, my name is Noelle Hidalgo.
I'm the executive director of Beta NYC, and for the record, I serve as the public advocate's appointee to COPIC and to the Internet Advisory Board, and today I speak on behalf of Beta NYC.
At Beta NYC, AI is a question of power.
Who has the power to consume the world's knowledge and resources, and who controls the companies that do?
Our research shows four things.
First, AI models are snapshots in time.
We asked five AI agents about the council's own AI law, local law 188.
Of the three that answered from memory, none of them knew it.
Two ignored the instructions and searched the web to find the answer.
Out of the box, AI models are brains with no eyes and no hands.
Second, access to the city's information is inconsistent.
NYC.gov.
NYC.gov's one published rule welcomes every automated visitor, yet when you disclose that you are who you are, it is refused.
So we had to build open source tools that go straight to the source and hop around the city's regulation, digital regulation.
Third, people inside a city government are ready to experiment.
Our own conversations say that they are ready to do it safely and reliably, and they have told us that they lack the literacy and the resources.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
government who actually has the tools and the resources to become the leader that they are looking for, which is really disappointing.
Inside of New York City, they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
That they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
Fourth, we have trained nearly 100 CUNY undergraduates and we interviewed 26 experts across 18 organizations.
That they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
Employers want more than technical skills.
They want, and students want, practical experience.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
A century ago, reformers in this chamber helped bring us clean water and an end to nepotism in government.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
A hundred years from now, how will our descendants look back at today?
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
So we asked the council to work with the state on a few fun pieces of legislation.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
One would be an AI wealth fund for public universities and public education and to fund enforcement.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
We desperately need to revive COPIC, define New York City's vision of digital sovereignty, starting with the UN open source principles,
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
fund the Office of Algorithmic Accountability and the Office of Data Strategy, and create an open source programs office in partnership with CUNY.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
Our full testimony is up on our website at beta.nyc forward slash council dash AI dash hearings dash 2026.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.