Mayor Zohran Mamdani ran on a promise to fling open the doors at City Hall, but his administration is still holding back public records tied to the city’s hot-button AI projects. The paperwork in question includes contracts and audio files for the MyCity chatbot and AI-generated robocalls, records that could clarify who got paid, what vendors delivered and how closely the systems were watched.
According to NBC New York, the I-Team filed Freedom of Information Law requests more than two years ago, seeking contracts, agreements and audio tied to former Mayor Eric Adams’ use of AI voice cloning technology and the MyCity chatbot. NBC New York reports that the Adams administration issued a series of deadline extensions that kept those records out of public view until his term ended, and Mamdani’s City Hall now says it inherited a heavy FOIL backlog. Asked about the outstanding requests after a recent news conference, Mamdani responded, “I haven't heard of it as yet, but I will follow up on it.”
What the I-Team Is After
The pending requests seek the contracts and agreements behind the MyCity chatbot, along with audio recordings of multilingual robocalls that used an AI-generated version of a mayoral voice. According to the mayor’s office, the MyCity Business site and its chatbot launched in October 2023 as part of a broader AI Action Plan.
Investigations by The Markup and reporting in THE CITY later found that the bot was giving small businesses inaccurate and sometimes legally risky guidance, while tech outlets documented the administration’s use of synthetic speech to power multilingual robocalls.
Why City Hall Says It Is Still Holding Back
City officials have told the I-Team that the delay is tied to a large FOIL backlog. The city’s Office of Technology and Innovation initially closed the I-Team’s request after sending over a 697-page umbrella agreement related to Microsoft IT services instead of the specific MyCity contracts the reporters were seeking.
As NBC New York reports, the office has since reopened its search after the I-Team clarified what it wanted, and the city has set April 9 as the likely decision date on whether it will release the contracts and recordings.
Watchdogs Say Backlogs Are No Excuse
Good-government advocates argue that basic procurement contracts and recordings that were already blasted out to the public, like robocalls, should not be buried in procedural delays. Reinvent Albany, which has chronicled FOIL slowdowns and pushed for reforms, says backlogs are not a valid reason to withhold standard vendor agreements and other public records, and that these kinds of documents should be released by default.
Early Test of Mamdani’s Transparency Pledge
The standoff over the AI records is shaping up as an early test of Mamdani’s vow to make City Hall more accessible. His team has already taken the MyCity chatbot offline after reporting exposed repeated errors, a move covered by local outlets, and the way his administration handles these FOIL requests will help determine whether the transparency talk turns into actual practice.
The decision expected in April will show whether the contracts, vendor names and robocall audio are turned over quickly or become the subject of another drawn-out FOIL fight. Reporters, watchdogs and some small-business advocates are watching closely to see how the new administration balances its openness pledge with its explanation about inherited backlogs.
