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Mayors AI Forum launched at Bloomberg CityLab 2026 summit
The initiative aims to bring together mayors from across the globe to strengthen local government leadership in shaping AI development and deployment.
At a glance
Who: Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University.
What: Bloomberg and Johns Hopkins University have launched the Mayors AI Forum at the Bloomberg CityLab 2026 summit.
Why: To bring together mayors from across the globe to shape AI development and deployment, as well as policy.
When: Bloomberg CityLab 2026 summit is taking place in Madrid until 29 April.
Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University have announced the launch of the Mayors AI Forum at the Bloomberg CityLab 2026 summit, taking place in Madrid until 29 April.
Founding members include mayors of Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Kyiv, London, Madrid, Nairobi, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Tokyo.
Shaping AI development and policy
The initiative aims to bring together mayors from across the globe to shape how AI is developed and deployed, accelerating practical applications in government, working directly with companies as tools are designed. It will also shape policy from the economic centres where its promise is consequential and its impacts are immediate.
“Mayors have often been early leaders on global challenges – even as national and international responses lagged,” said Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP, and three-term mayor of New York City. “Now, the Mayors AI Forum will help put them – and the communities they serve – at the forefront of conversations about the future of AI.”
“AI creates extraordinary opportunities for city halls to improve daily services and fuel economic growth”
As the officials closest to people’s daily lives, mayors hold the clearest ground-level view of AI’s real-world potential and challenges for residents from energy utilisation to workforce implications. Yet the choices that will define AI – standards set by corporations, regulations written by legislators, frameworks adopted by international bodies – are largely made without them. The result, said Bloomberg Philanthropies, is a widening gap between where policy is set and where it is lived.
The Mayors AI Forum, supported by the Bloomberg Centre for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins, aims to close this. Backed by world-class experts, the initiative gives mayors the platform to bring their frontline authority and insight to bear: engaging developers as systems are built, spreading proven use cases from city to city, and grounding national and global direction in local realities and needs.
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“AI creates extraordinary opportunities for city halls to improve daily services and fuel economic growth,” said Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer, Alphabet and Google and Bloomberg Philanthropies board member.
“That is why it is critical their leaders – the mayors and municipal officials closest to where technology meets the street – can help drive its trajectory. I am excited about the vision of the Mayors AI Forum to ensure local government is best positioned to harness AI in support of their residents.”
Founding mayors and cities
The Forum’s founding mayors represent 10 cities across eight countries and five continents, home to over 100 million residents. These major metropolises – which are innovation hubs and regional anchors – are among the advanced adopters of AI in public life, deploying it across permitting, public safety, urban management, citizen engagement, infrastructure, workforce development, and service delivery. And these mayors bring demonstrated leadership to the effort. They include:
- Bogotá mayor Carlos Fernando Galán
- Boston mayor Michelle Wu
- Buenos Aires mayor Jorge Macri
- Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko
- London mayor Sadiq Khan
- Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida
- Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja
- San Antonio, mayor Gina Ortiz Jones
- San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie
- Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.
“The Bloomberg Centre for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins has an extraordinary record of supporting mayors as they work to deliver results for their communities in the face of systemic changes and challenges – bringing practical expertise and on-the-ground partnership to the frontlines of public service,” said Johns Hopkins University president Ron Daniels. “As AI’s far-reaching implications for society grow by the day, local leaders have a critical role to play from shaping policies to advancing innovative new approaches to city services and civic engagement. We’re grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies for their partnership in preparing mayors to effectively navigate this next frontier.”
Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University will consider the addition of new mayoral members over time.
“The launch of the Mayors AI Forum marks a pivotal moment in urban governance,” said mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida of Madrid. “Madrid is dedicated to harnessing the transformative power of artificial intelligence to drive sustainable development and foster more resilient, inclusive, and forward-thinking cities globally.”
“This creates an opportunity to shape global approaches to the use of AI together with some of the world’s most advanced cities, building on both their experience and our own.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco, California, added: “San Francisco is a global leader in AI. We are home to the companies, talent, and ideas that are shaping how new technology is used in our lives. In San Francisco, we are equipping our city workers with the technology and tools to drive our economic recovery and deliver more effective, responsive government services for our residents. I look forward to working with mayors from around the world through the Mayors AI Forum to learn from one another and ensure AI can continue to help government deliver better results for the people they serve.”
Mayor Vitali Klitschko of Kyiv, Ukraine, explained that even amid the war, the city is continuing to develop existing and launch new digital services for Kyiv residents, and added: “It is an honour for us to be among the founding cities of the Mayors AI Forum. This creates an opportunity to shape global approaches to the use of AI together with some of the world’s most advanced cities, building on both their experience and our own.”
The Mayors AI Forum builds on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ longstanding work to strengthen local state capacity through its Government Innovation programme, which supports thousands of mayors and municipal leaders. This includes robust data and AI initiatives, including the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance and City AI Connect, delivered by the Bloomberg Centre for Government Excellence, that have expanded these capabilities in jurisdictions throughout the Americas and globe.
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