Mayor Adams, NYCEDC Release Report to Secure New York City as Global Leader in Applied AI | City of New York


Mayor Adams, NYCEDC Release First-Of-Its-Kind Report to Secure New York City as Global Leader in Applied Artificial Intelligence

January 31, 2025

NYCEDC Releases $3 Million Request for Proposal Seeking Operator to Establish “NYC AI Nexus” to Catalyze and Accelerate Applied AI Innovation and Adoption Across City’s Economy

NYCEDC and OpenAI Announce New Partnership to Advance AI Innovation and Adoption Throughout Five Boroughs

Announcement Comes as City Celebrates Breaking All-Time High Jobs Record for Eighth Time Since Start of Administration, Unemployment Down Across All Demographics

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball today released “New York City’s Artificial Intelligence Advantage: Driving Economic Growth and Technological Transformation,” a report that outlines a roadmap series of findings, recommendations, and actions to secure New York City’s position as the premier Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) capital of the world. The report includes 18 commitments to unlock New York City’s AI potential to drive economic growth and continue to develop a diverse workforce to power the future of the city and the sector’s economy. A key commitment of the plan includes a $3 million investment from NYCEDC to establish a first-of-its-kind “NYC AI Nexus,” a transformative initiative designed to facilitate collaborations between New York City-based startups and founders with local businesses to identify, build, and ultimately adopt Applied AI solutions to ensure the continued competitiveness of the city’s diverse set of industries. Finally, NYCEDC announced a partnership with OpenAI, which recently established its first east coast office at the historic Puck Building in Manhattan with 450 employees. Through this partnership, OpenAI will support several programs, including NYCEDC’s Founder Fellowship and the NYC AI Nexus, and serve on the AI Advisory Council.

Today’s announcement comes as the city celebrates recently breaking the all-time high jobs record for eighth time with unemployment down across all demographic groups since start of the Adams administration, continuing to advance Mayor Adams’ State of the City commitment to make New York City the best, more affordable place to raise a family.

“The jobs of tomorrow are being created today in New York City, and artificial intelligence is key to making that happen,” said Mayor Adams. “As we hit another all-time record high for jobs in our city, our administration is looking to the future — and the future shows AI as the next emerging sector and source of job creation across our city, the country, and the globe. The five boroughs are leaping at the opportunity to be the global leader in AI, partnering with the leading AI company, releasing a first-of-its-kind report, and investing millions in the future. From tech and the green economy to life sciences and AI, the Big Apple, not Silicon Valley, is the city leading the way on the jobs that will make our city the best place to raise a family.”

“New York City is the greatest city in the world. We have more jobs today than at any point in our 400-year history and are the global leader in Applied AI,” said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer. “As today's announcement makes clear, we have a vision and strategy to maintain that standing, and will work diligently in partnership to ensure that — building on the foundation of an unmatched tech ecosystem, nation’s largest academic network, robust talent pool, and abundant access to capital — New York City realizes the transformational potential of AI for the benefit and betterment of everyone in our city.”

“New York City's premier talent pool, diverse economy, strong access to capital, and leading researchers are cementing the city as a global hub for Applied AI, and this report highlights ways that we can best leverage this burgeoning technology for dynamic economic growth,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “New York City is already leading in AI innovations, and we are thrilled to partner with pioneering companies like OpenAI and continue to foster groundbreaking advancements in this transformative field, while ensuring that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the growth of AI.”

The first-of-its-kind report identifies key recommendations that are essential to securing New York City’s leadership in AI to build an even stronger local economy while ensuring all New Yorkers can participate. Based on research and industry feedback, NYCEDC has identified three AI priorities: 1) Advance New York City’s position as the global leader in Applied AI, 2) Foster new business creation and partnerships to build a dynamic and prosperous AI ecosystem, and 3) Develop a diverse AI-ready workforce to power the future of the economy.

In addition to the report’s identified priorities, the report includes 18 commitments NYCEDC is making to help unlock the city’s AI potential citywide and ensure New Yorkers from all five boroughs take advantage to ultimately drive economic growth. While some of these initiatives are currently underway, NYCEDC will be launching new initiatives, including:

Developing programs to support the adoption of AI technological transformations across city industries. NYCEDC will release a $3 million requests for proposal seeking an operator to establish NYC AI Nexus. The NYC AI Nexus initiative is designed to drive AI adoption and work to make AI accessible across all sectors and types of businesses to ensure certain segments of the city’s economy do not fall behind. The NYC AI Nexus will foster innovation and adoption, address coordination challenges between startups and private industry, and accelerate the development and implementation of AI solutions that unlock new opportunities across the city’s economy.

Promoting New York City as a leading hub for AI innovation. NYCEDC will partner with Tech:NYC to launch a campaign that establishes New York City as the global hub for Applied AI by highlighting its robust tech ecosystem, innovative startups, and groundbreaking AI applications. This new brand will be activated with high-profile events, conferences, strategic partnerships, and speaking engagements. The campaign will showcase New York City’s leadership in AI, attracting top talent, businesses, and investments.

Create and launch an AI Advisory Council. Create an AI Advisory Council, in partnership with Tech:NYC, consisting of AI leaders and investors. These ambassadors for the city’s AI community will advise the Adams administration on initiatives to ensure AI in the city supports the growth of the city’s economy across all sectors and businesses, both large and small.

Pilot AI literacy programs across public libraries. As an essential resource for youth and other residents across the five boroughs, NYCEDC seeks to pilot new AI literacy programs for librarians across the New York City’s three public library systems.

Connect The City University of New York (CUNY) students with internship opportunities at AI-first startups. Launch the NYCEDC Startup Internship Program with a targeted focus of connecting CUNY students to dynamic roles at AI-first startups, with anticipated placements commencing in summer 2025.

Additionally, the City of New York and OpenAI have formalized a partnership to continue to foster advancements in this transformative field, ensuring that all New Yorkers, and local businesses, have the opportunity to participate and benefit from the growth of AI. Through this partnership, OpenAI will:

Provide a total of $500,000 Application Programming Interface credits to participants of a variety of NYCEDC programs, including the Founder Fellowship and the NYC AI Nexus.

Provide 500 free ChatGPT Plus accounts to participants in AI literacy programs organized by the Fund for the City of New York, Decoded Futures, and NYCEDC literacy programs.

Serve on the new AI Advisory Council.

The report estimates that AI will have a game changing impact and benefit a variety of sectors in the city, especially life sciences and the green economy. In health care and life sciences, AI is driving breakthrough discoveries for patients at a faster pace and with greater accuracy. Additionally, AI will be an important tool in the fight against climate change with the creation of new climate technologies and solutions.

Additional key takeaways from the report include:

New York City has already emerged as a leader in Applied AI, distinguished by its thriving tech ecosystem, unparalleled industry diversity, the nation’s largest academic ecosystem, a robust talent pool, and abundant access to capital.

New York City is the second-largest tech startup ecosystem in the world, employing over 360,000 tech ecosystem employees and is home to over 25,000 tech startups and over 1,200 active venture capital firms. Today, there are over 40,000 workers in the New York metro area with AI skills.

This AI boom has already produced over 2,000 AI startups based in New York City and, in 2023 alone, approximately one-third of venture capital raised by city startups was directed to AI.

New York City’s world-renowned universities, including Columbia University, Cornell Tech, CUNY, and New York University graduated over 87,000 AI-ready degree holders from 2018 to 2023.

The Adams administration is actively investing in emerging industries through capital and programmatic investments to further position New York City as an economic and technology leader and to ensure that these sectors are at the forefront of innovation. The report highlights the numerous programs and initiatives already underway, including the NYC Catalyst Fund, the Greenlight Innovation Fund, supporting the opening of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York, a $100 million backed request for expressed information to source a world-class anchor tenant that will establish and operate a cutting-edge life sciences center at the Science Park and Research Campus Kips Bay, supporting early-stage climate tech companies leveraging new technologies through programs, including NYCEDC’s Pilots at BAT, the Founder Fellowship, and the launch of the AI Policy Lab to support learning across New York City public schools.

In October 2023, the Adams administration launched the nation's first comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Action Plan for the responsible use of AI in city government. The action plan lays out 37 actions over seven initiatives to create governance for the city’s use of AI, to better engage with New Yorkers and other partners on timely and topical AI matters, to hone AI skills for the city’s workforce, and to support agencies in implementing AI solutions.

“New York City has long been a global leader in innovation. Mayor Eric Adams’ and NYCEDC's initiative to continue this leadership in our fast-changing landscape in the age of AI is a game changer for our economy and our workforce,” said New York State Assemblymember Clyde Vanel. “By investing in AI innovation, supporting startups, and expanding AI literacy programs, we can make sure that all New Yorkers have access to the opportunities this technology brings.”

“The future of New York City's economy is rooted in technology and innovation, with AI serving as the centerpiece of those industries. That means we must leave no stone unturned in responsibly making New York City the global AI capital,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “My office is proud to be a leader in connecting historically marginalized communities to the tech industry, including AI, through the creation of our Global Tech & Innovation Center, the Queens Tech & Innovation Challenge, and last week's annual Queens Tech & Career Expo. I look forward to expanding our work with our administration and community partners alike to advance AI opportunities for all the residents of our city.”

“We look forward to working with New York City to explore ways to equip librarians with the skills they need to best serve our communities in the rapidly evolving digital age,” said Brooklyn, Queens, and New York Public Libraries. “As institutions dedicated to free access to knowledge for all, we recognize both the opportunities and challenges that AI presents, including the risk of bias and misinformation. We thank NYCEDC for their partnership in this work.”

“Connecting CUNY students to paid internships in Applied AI is a necessary step to ensure that they are prepared to be leaders in this growing field,” said Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, chancellor, CUNY. “Strong pathways into AI careers, including initiatives like the NYCEDC Startup Internship Program, will help them realize their career aspirations. As CUNY works towards tripling the number of paid internships for our students, we are excited to continue to collaborate with NYCEDC to open more opportunities to students in these pathways.”

“We’re excited to go big with the City of New York to bring AI’s benefits to all of the Big Apple,” said Chris Lehane, vice president, global affairs, OpenAI. “This partnership is designed to support the mosaic that is New York City—from the city’s dynamic small businesses to its thriving tech ecosystem, and to the people from all walks of life across the five boroughs who collectively make New York the city where it happens and gets things done.”

“AI represents one of the best opportunities to create new well-paying jobs, so it's great to see NYCEDC getting out ahead of this opportunity by putting forth such a smart, innovative playbook to help New York City become one of the globe's leading AI hubs and capture a large share of the jobs that will be created in the years ahead,” said Jonathan Bowles, executive director, Center for an Urban Future.

“New York City has always been a center of innovation and opportunity across industries. As AI drives this period of rapid technological advancement, our city’s unparalleled talent pool, world-class academic and research institutions, and thriving startup ecosystem leave it uniquely positioned to capitalize on this moment,” said Julie Samuels, president and CEO, Tech:NYC. “Tech:NYC is committed to collaborating across the private and public sectors to help chart the path ahead and create a robust AI infrastructure that fosters sustainable growth and inclusivity. We look forward to working with the Adams administration to ensure that New York City remains at the forefront of applied AI innovation, setting the standard for the world.”

“The actions recommended in this report will ensure New York City has an educated, trained, diverse workforce to enable it to be a leading center of AI and AI-driven tools that reflect the diversity of our society,” said Maria Gotsch, president and CEO, Partnership Fund for New York City. “The partnership with Tech:NYC to elevate New York City as a global AI hub will be key to attracting and supporting the next generation of AI entrepreneurs.”

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