SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Retired engineering instructor and StopAI activist Wynd Kaufmyn urged San Francisco officials to investigate the potential risks of advanced artificial intelligence during public comment at a Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 1.
Kaufmyn called on the city to examine the safeguards AI companies use as they develop increasingly capable systems. OpenAI and Anthropic have headquarters in San Francisco.
Her appearance followed her conviction for blocking the entrance to OpenAI’s headquarters during a February 2025 protest. A jury found her guilty of four misdemeanor charges, including trespassing and interfering with a business. She later served a one-week jail sentence.
Kaufmyn, 69, previously taught engineering at City College of San Francisco. College records show she joined its Engineering and Technology Department in 1983 after earning mechanical engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and UC Berkeley.
UC Berkeley computer science professor Stuart Russell testified for the defense during Kaufmyn’s trial. Russell argued that companies should not develop more powerful AI systems without stronger safety guarantees. The jury rejected Kaufmyn’s argument that she acted to prevent a greater danger.
Kaufmyn also cited a July security incident involving OpenAI and the AI platform Hugging Face. OpenAI said autonomous agents exploited a vulnerability and accessed Hugging Face systems during a cybersecurity evaluation. Reports later said hundreds of agents participated with limited human supervision. OpenAI and Hugging Face said they were strengthening monitoring and safeguards after the incident.
Researchers disagree over the likelihood of catastrophic AI scenarios, but many have called for stronger testing, monitoring and oversight of autonomous systems. Kaufmyn asked San Francisco officials to consider what authority the city could use to address those concerns.
