The document, “New York City’s Artificial Intelligence Advantage: Driving Economic Growth and Technological Transformation,” was announced Friday by the New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC). NYCEDC is a nonprofit organization aiming to support an inclusive and competitive economy for New Yorkers. NYCEDC is the official economic development organization for New York City, and the NYCEDC president is appointed by the NYC mayor.
The report offers an action plan for the city and NYCEDC’s AI strategy. It outlines three strategic goals: 1) to advance the city’s position as a global leader in applied AI; 2) to foster new business creation and partnerships for a dynamic AI ecosystem; and 3) to develop a diverse, AI-ready workforce.
It includes 18 commitments — categorized under the strategic goals — designed to help the city unlock its AI potential for future economic growth.
Among these commitments is a $3 million investment from NYCEDC to create the NYC AI Nexus initiative, which is designed to help NYC-based startups and founders collaborate with local businesses to create and adopt applied AI solutions. The goal is to enhance businesses’ competitiveness across industries. The first step is NYCEDC’s release of a request for proposals to find an operator to establish this initiative.
In the report, NYCEDC announced a partnership with OpenAI. This partnership will support several programs, including the NYC AI Nexus. It will also bolster the organization’s Founder Fellowship, which is intended to help underrepresented founders across tech-enabled sectors access capital, a network of mentors and advisers, and other resources.
OpenAI will also serve on the AI Advisory Council that NYCEDC is establishing in collaboration with Tech:NYC. This council is focused on equitable growth in the private sector.
To support AI literacy in the city, NYCEDC plans to work with the city’s public library system to pilot AI literacy programming, to support responsible use of the technologies.
The report also highlights plans to launch the NYCEDC Startup Internship Program, which will help connect students at The City University of New York with internship opportunities at AI-focused startups; placements are expected to begin this summer.
“The jobs of tomorrow are being created today in New York City, and artificial intelligence is key to making that happen,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement, underlining the importance of the timing as the city hits an all-time high jobs record.
New York City, the report asserts, is the second-largest tech startup ecosystem in the world with more than 25,000 tech startups, 2,000 of which are AI startups. It notes that more than 40,000 workers in the New York metro area have AI skills.
The Friday announcement builds on previous AI-focused work in the city. This includes the October 2021 release of an AI strategy, the October 2023 release of an AI Action Plan; and, more recently, the establishment of an AI Steering Committee and an AI Advisory Network.
