Good morning:
This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon appeared at the same event in Washington, D.C., to call for urgent action to rein in artificial intelligence. But their considerably pessimistic perspective on AI need not be the only one. In a new report published today, policy analyst Josh Appel reassures us that artificial intelligence does not need to be a source of fear—it can make our lives and our municipal governments better through improved services and efficient problem solving.
And director of Research Judge Glock explains how the traditional American solution of making companies liable, through lawsuits, for the harms created by their products can allow AI technologies to flourish, while still making sure that the technology is aligned with the wishes of human beings, rather than machines.
MI itself is launching a lawsuit—against the opaque Mamdani administration. MI’s Santiago Vidal Calvo and Cameron Macdonald reveal that the New York City Mayor’s Office is not producing documents lawfully requested under the state’s Freedom of Information Law in a manner that is reasonable and timely. Instead, it has turned a request-specific legal standard into a blanket waiting period. “A statutory right of access cannot depend on whether an administration finds a request convenient,” they write. “Nor should Mayor Mamdani be allowed to establish a playbook that future mayors can use to run out the clock on public scrutiny.”
In addition, we are proud to announce that City Journal’s own Stu Smith testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the Democratic Socialists of America’s threat to American sovereignty. Continue reading for all these insights and more. Kelsey Bloom Editorial Director |
|
|
|
How New York City Can Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Quality of Life
By Josh Appel | The Manhattan Institute | Photo by Busakorn Pongparnit/Moment via Getty Images
“New York City already collects enormous amounts of data. In a new issue brief, policy analyst Josh Appel argues that artificial intelligence can help the city put those data to better use. Building on earlier innovations such as CompStat, FireCast, 311, and the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, Appel proposes using AI to synthesize text, images, audio, and other information across agencies, allowing officials to anticipate problems rather than simply react to them.
Potential applications range from predicting reckless driving, trash overflow, and nightlife disorder to improving subway scheduling, homelessness outreach, and 311 triage. Appel argues that the city should build and own this AI infrastructure in-house, rather than relying heavily on outside vendors, giving agencies greater control, security, and flexibility while making government services more efficient and responsive.”
|
Don’t Blame Phones for Teen Sadness
By Dario Marino | Compact | Photo by Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images
“Young people are unhappy, and many observers think they know what is to blame: technology. The most influential argument in this direction comes from the psychologist Jonathan Haidt. In his 2024 book The Anxious Generation, Haidt argued that giving young people smartphones in the early 2010s ‘rewired’ childhood, which led to large upticks in anxiety, depression, and related ailments. .... “It is understandable why this story has proven attractive. The diffusion of mobile internet technology was a big change, and it’s easy to imagine that being constantly connected makes us feel anxious, self-conscious, and dissatisfied. However, there are problems with this account.
“For one thing, what do we make of the fact that English-speaking countries are significantly sadder than other countries where youth smartphone access is just as widespread? If it were just the phone, wouldn’t teens in other parts of the world be just as unhappy?” |
Michigan Thinks Grades Are the Problem
By Neetu Arnold | The James G. Martin Center | Photo By Tim Leedy/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images
“The University of Michigan plans to exclude first-semester letter grades from students’ transcripts to “curb the mental health crisis.” What would seem like a mundane university-level grading change has become a cultural touchpoint. Early-morning talk shows, national to local outlets—everyone seems to have a reaction.
“The grading policy is expected to go into effect in fall 2027 in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, the largest school at the university. Freshmen will still know what grades they received internally, but those grades won’t count toward their overall GPA. Everyone will be required to receive pass/no credit because “covering an individual’s grades will inadvertently become equated with them not doing well in a class.” “Although covered grading appeals to a very real concern about the difficult transition year, it is a risky policy with an unremarkable track record.” |
Mamdani Has a Transparency Problem. We're Suing to Fix It
By Santiago Vidal Calvo and Cameron Macdonald | City Journal | Photo by Adam Gray - Pool/Getty Images
“Government transparency advocates have a popular saying: ‘Information delayed is information denied.’ Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral administration is now testing that proposition with a comprehensive policy of delay. “Beginning this spring, the New York City Mayor’s Office started assigning a roughly six-month response date to nearly every records request made under the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), without regard to the subject matter of any given request. The Manhattan Institute is asking a court to put an end to the practice. …
“Transparency is about timing as much as anything. When a controversy is in the making, records are what drive the reporting, oversight, and legislative debate. To be told in January that a decision on a July request is coming is to have the news after the story has run its course and the officials have moved on. Put off disclosure until the civic moment is over and you have denied it in all but name.” |
An Old School Solution to the New Problems of AI
By Judge Glock | City Journal | Photo by Liao Pan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
“Many artificial intelligence experts believe our society faces only one serious political question: How will we prevent AI from destroying humanity? … Those concerns have led to calls for new bureaucracies to oversee frontier AI labs and monitor new model releases.
“But there is a better approach to AI safety, one that runs through the old-fashioned legal system. Torts, or legal claims for damages against a company, may provide the best mechanism to prevent the dangers of AI while preserving its advantages. …
“Potential tort liability has the benefit of putting the onus on companies themselves to game out dangerous scenarios and prevent them. … Torts should require the ‘cheapest cost avoider’ to suffer the consequences of bad behavior. Since AI frontier labs can engineer around harms caused by their models much easier than outside individuals can predict or avoid them, they should be assigned liability for any damages.” |
|
|
For more information and media requests, please contact
communications@manhattan.institute. Are you interested in supporting the Manhattan Institute’s public-interest research and journalism? As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donations in support of MI and its scholars’ work are fully tax-deductible as provided by law. |
|
|
|
The Manhattan Institute works to keep America and its great cities
prosperous, safe, and free. Manhattan Institute
52 Vanderbilt Ave. 3 floor New York, New York 10017
Copyright © 2026 Manhattan Institute, All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
