Hochul Apologizes for Saying ‘Black Kids’ Don’t Know the Word ‘Computer’

At the Milken Institute Global Conference, the annual gathering of billionaires and business leaders in California, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York was given a spotlight on Monday to expound on her new artificial intelligence initiative.

But as she explained her desire to make technology more widely accessible, especially in low-income communities, the governor made an extemporaneous comment suggesting that Black children from the Bronx were unfamiliar with computers.

In an exchange with the moderator, Jonathan Capehart, Ms. Hochul said that “right now we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is.”

Ms. Hochul, a Democrat, did not immediately correct her gaffe. Instead, she went on to explain that her goal of providing more access to technology would spur innovation and help address societal inequity.

The governor on Monday evening expressed contrition over her word choice, saying that she “misspoke and I regret it,” adding that her focus was on increasing economic opportunity.

“Of course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are,” she said in a statement. “The problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like A.I.”

This is not the first time this year the governor’s rhetorical style has led to unwelcome attention. In February, Ms. Hochul referred to a hypothetical destruction of Canada to imply that Israel had a right to destroy Gaza in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks.

“If Canada someday ever attacked Buffalo, I’m sorry, my friends, there would be no Canada the next day,” she said then. She quickly apologized for her “poor choice of words,” and said she regretted her “inappropriate analogy.”

Her remark at the Milken conference, which was held at the stately Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, seemed consistent with her blunt, folksy style, which can occasionally veer into caricature.

But it also risked casting Ms. Hochul, a centrist Democrat from Buffalo, as out of touch with Black New Yorkers — an image that some critics immediately seized upon.

“Of course Black kids in the Bronx know the word ‘computer,’” State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who represents Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, wrote on X, the social media site. She noted that the governor’s A.I. initiative failed to include funding for education and work force development in underserved communities.

Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, a Democrat who represents the South Bronx, said the governor’s comments were “harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling.”

“Repeating harmful stereotypes about one of our most underserved communities, while failing to acknowledge the state’s consistent institutional neglect, only perpetuates systems of abuse,” she said.

But others, including the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Assembly speaker, Carl E. Heastie, viewed the governor’s comment as an unintentional misstatement and praised her for her actions and larger message.

“While the governor’s words were inartful and hurtful, I don’t believe that is where her heart is,” Mr. Heastie said in a statement. “I firmly believe she wants to see all of our students excel. Working with Governor Hochul, I hope we can redouble our efforts to bring greater access to technology to our kids in the Bronx.”

Mr. Sharpton agreed that the governor “might have not said it artfully, but a lot of our community is robbed of using social media because we are racially excluded from access. That’s a good point for her to raise.”

Jeffery C. Mays contributed reporting.