A coalition of more than a dozen city leaders, backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University, has launched the International Mayors AI Forum. The group aims to give municipalities a direct voice in shaping artificial‑intelligence development, policy, and implementation for the benefit of their residents.
At the Bloomberg CityLab 2026 summit, former New York City mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg announced the creation of the Mayors AI Forum. The initiative brings together mayors from a diverse set of global cities—including Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Kyiv, London, Madrid, Nairobi, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Tokyo—representing more than 100 million people.
The forum is the first formal effort to convene municipal executives specifically to discuss how AI systems are built, deployed, and regulated at the local level. Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University will provide research support, policy expertise, and a network for sharing best practices among participating cities.
Mayors sit at the intersection of technology and everyday life. They oversee public‑service delivery, manage municipal data platforms, and grapple with the immediate social impacts of automation—from workforce displacement to public‑safety tools. As AI moves from experimental pilots to core municipal functions—traffic management, predictive maintenance, social‑service eligibility, and more—local leaders are uniquely positioned to identify practical challenges and opportunities.
“Mayors have often been early leaders on global challenges— even as national and international responses lagged,” Bloomberg said in the forum’s press release. The statement underscores a belief that city governments can act more swiftly than higher‑level jurisdictions, especially when dealing with rapidly evolving technologies.
Industry analysts estimate that AI could add roughly $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030, while simultaneously exposing millions of jobs to automation. For city administrations, the dual pressure of leveraging AI for efficiency and mitigating its disruptive effects creates a policy imperative. The Mayors AI Forum seeks to develop shared frameworks that balance economic growth with equity, privacy, and public trust.
These statements illustrate a common theme: local leaders view AI not merely as a technical upgrade but as a societal lever that must be guided with deliberate governance.
The coalition will produce research briefs, policy recommendations, and case‑study repositories that will be disseminated through Bloomberg Philanthropies’ existing network of innovative cities. While the initial membership is fixed, the organizers have indicated that additional municipalities may join over time, expanding the forum’s geographic and demographic reach.
If successful, the Mayors AI Forum could become a model for sub‑national coordination on emerging technologies, complementing national strategies and international standards bodies. By pooling resources and experiences, cities may develop more resilient, inclusive AI ecosystems that reflect the needs of the communities they serve.
The formation of the International Mayors AI Forum marks a notable shift toward city‑level influence in the global conversation on artificial intelligence, signaling that the future of AI governance may be as much about local streets as it is about national capitals.
