Exclusive: Bloomberg launches global mayors AI group
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins are launching a Mayors AI Forum, a global coalition of 1,000 city leaders focused on AI policy and deployment.
The big picture: The forum gives local officials a direct role in shaping how AI is deployed in cities and communities.
What they're saying: "Mayors have often been early leaders on global challenges," said Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and former New York mayor.
- Founding members include mayors from Boston, London, San Francisco, Madrid, Tokyo and Kyiv, representing more than 100 million people.
- The forum builds on other mayor-focused playbooks, including a Google-backed playbook to help city leaders test and scale AI tools.
- Bloomberg's initiative puts more emphasis on peer learning and implementation across cities.
Zoom in: The goal is to bring together mayors across major tech hub cities who can share insights but also develop city-specific insights and best practices.
- Scenario planning: Working through up to four "AI-futures" for each city, including best and worst cases for how the technology could impact local economies.
- Research: Cities will partner with Johns Hopkins on additional research.
- Briefings: Participants will get access to closed-door meetings with Big Tech executives and global policymakers.
Zoom out: The forum comes as local AI pushback is reaching a boiling point.
- Membership in Facebook groups that oppose AI data centers has quadrupled since December, totaling over 360,000, according to a report.
- 48 data center projects worth over $150 billion were blocked or delayed in 2025, according to CNBC.
What we're watching: Bloomberg Philanthropies wants mayors to better understand AI's risks to workers while maximizing economic opportunities for their constituents.
