The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, quickly took back comments she made after receiving a barrage of backlash for claiming that black teenagers in the Bronx were ignorant of the term “computer.”
The Democrat made the spontaneous remark on Monday during an interview at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California.
Her goal was to highlight Empire AI, the $400 million project she is spearheading to establish an AI computer hub in upstate New York. Rather, she made a statement she soon regretted and dug herself into a hole.
In addition, Hochul stated, “They don’t know; they don’t know these things. Right now we have, you know, young black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is.”
The governor refuted the comment made during the interview, explaining that her intention was to give communities of color access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to combat socioeconomic inequalities.
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Nonetheless, a number of prominent New York politicians swiftly criticized the comments, calling them “harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling.” Among them was Democratic state assemblywoman, Amanda Septimo from the Bronx.
Hochul stated, “I misspoke, and I regret it,” in a statement released later on Monday.
“Obviously, black kids in the Bronx understand what computers are; the issue is that they don’t always have access to the necessary technology to pursue lucrative careers in cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence,” Hochul stated.
“I will keep fighting to make sure every New Yorker has a chance at a well-paying job, which is why I’ve been focused on boosting economic opportunity since Day One of my administration.”
The Democratic Assembly Speaker of New York State, Carl Heastie, who represents the Bronx in the Legislature, defended Hochul when her comments went viral on the internet.
“It doesn’t seem like the governor’s heart is in that direction, even though her remarks were unpleasant and insensitive. Heastie remarked, “I genuinely think she wants to see all of our students succeed.”
Not many public leaders were willing to back the governor. She was attempting to make a “good point,” namely that “a lot of our community is robbed of using social media because we are racially excluded from access,” civil rights leader Al Sharpton also extended an open mind to her.
