To help city leaders around the world implement best practices for deploying artificial intelligence in critical public and private systems, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University announced the launch of the Mayors AI Forum on April 28 at the 12th annual Bloomberg CityLab 2026 summit in Madrid.
Established by Bloomberg Philanthropies with Johns Hopkins University, the Mayors AI Forum will bring together some of the world's most forward-thinking city leaders to collectively demonstrate what visionary, responsible artificial intelligence implementation can deliver for people everywhere. Founding members include mayors of Bogota, Boston, Buenos Aires, Kyiv, London, Madrid, Nairobi, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Tokyo. On hand in Madrid for the announcement were JHU alum Michael R. Bloomberg, Engr '64, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the 108th mayor of New York City, along with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
The Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, or GovEx, will support the forum, giving mayors the platform to bring their frontline authority and insight to bear by 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. The moment could not be more crucial: Estimates suggest AI could add $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030. At the same time, a significant number of jobs are vulnerable to automation, reshaping local economies, labor markets, and businesses and organizations small and large.
Mayors are on the frontlines, integrating AI technology to improve how their governments serve residents, while managing its broader effects across communities. 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 is a widening gap between where policy is set and where it is lived.
The Mayors AI Forum mission aligns with other GovEx programs, particularly the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance, which supports forward-thinking cities working to develop and implement AI prototypes, and City AI Connect, a global forum for city data leaders to share resources and best practices in AI adoption.
"The Bloomberg Center 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."
