‘Despicable’: Rights Group Condemn Cuomo’s 9/11 Remarks and Racist AI Attack Targeting Muslim Mayoral Candidate Mamdani
Tension in the New York mayoral race spiked after Andrew Cuomo’s campaign circulated — then deleted — an AI-generated ad that linked his opponent Zohran Mamdani to criminality and used racially charged imagery, and after Cuomo made a remark on a conservative radio show invoking 9/11 in a way critics say targeted Mamdani’s faith. The ad, titled “Criminals for Zohran Mamdani,” showed AI-created scenes of people committing petty crimes alongside a digitally altered image of Mamdani; it was removed by the campaign within hours but not before it was widely shared and condemned. Critics flagged the video’s use of stereotyped imagery, including a Black man in a keffiyeh depicted shoplifting. The next day, during an interview on Sid Rosenberg’s radio show, Cuomo was asked whether Mamdani could handle a 9/11-scale crisis. When the host suggested Mamdani “would be cheering,” Cuomo laughed and replied, “That’s another problem,” a remark Mamdani and others called racist and Islamophobic. Cuomo’s campaign said the AI video was uploaded in error by a junior staffer; a spokesman also pointed to public comments by Mamdani’s associates — specifically a previously public statement by Hasan Piker that drew condemnation from 9/11 families — as context for Cuomo’s radio comments. Mamdani rejected both the ad and the remark, calling them “racist” and “disgusting.” The controversy has drawn rapid public attention because Mamdani, an Indian American Muslim and the Democratic nominee, has been leading in polls and could become New York’s first Muslim mayor. Local commentators and national outlets say the episode underscores growing scrutiny over the use of AI in campaigns and the line between political attack and targeting a candidate’s religion. Cuomo’s campaign deleted the ad and issued limited statements; responses from city and state leaders have varied. The episode continues to dominate headlines as the election enters its final stretch.
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