AI & Robotics · From THT Media Lab
“Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.” — African proverb
New York State is building a school for the jobs that artificial intelligence is creating, and it is aimed squarely at the New Yorkers the tech economy has too often left outside the door.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the AI Jobs Institute, a new training hub in Long Island City, Queens, that will be designed and run by Pursuit, a New York City nonprofit that has spent more than a decade moving people from low-wage work into tech careers. According to the Governor’s office, the Institute aims to train up to 40,000 New Yorkers by 2032 and connect them with employers hiring for AI-enabled jobs.
Why it matters
Uptown: A new AI training hub is a subway ride away, built for New Yorkers the tech economy has left out, including people without a college degree.
Across America: Backers want it to be a national model. Its advisory council is chaired by former U.S. Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona, and it will produce research for state and federal AI workforce policy.
Around the world: The World Economic Forum projects that technology and other shifts will create 170 million jobs and displace 92 million worldwide by 2030. The race to retrain workers is global.
Who it is for
Pursuit’s own numbers explain why this matters uptown. The nonprofit says the people it has trained since 2012 are 70 percent Black or Latino, 50 percent on public assistance, 60 percent without a four-year degree and 40 percent immigrants. It says its graduates have gained more than $1 billion in lifetime wages.
That is the story of so many New Yorkers in a single sentence: talented people, many without a college degree, many from somewhere else, ready for a fair shot.
The details
- Money: $10 million in total public investment, including $3.06 million from Empire State Development for the new Queens hub.
- Timeline: Construction begins this winter, with full occupancy expected in mid-2027.
- What it will do: Workforce training in AI-enabled careers, pilots with small businesses and nonprofits, research on AI and jobs for state and federal policymakers, and a convening space for employers and talent.
- Who is backing it: Partners include Google.org, OpenAI, Anthropic, Wells Fargo, Con Edison, Spectrum, MetLife Foundation, Adobe, the New York Jobs CEO Council and the Partnership Fund for New York City.
- Who is advising it: A national advisory council chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, with members including CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez and Robin Hood CEO Rich Buery Jr.
The Institute will also house the New York Global Tech and Innovation Center, a Queens Borough President initiative to connect underrepresented entrepreneurs with capital and corporate partners.
What they said
Governor Hochul: “The AI Jobs Institute will connect thousands of New Yorkers with cutting-edge courses and career pathways, giving them the opportunity to keep up with rapidly evolving technology.”
Pursuit CEO Nick Simmons: “New York has an opportunity to set the national standard for how AI creates opportunity.”
Dr. Miguel Cardona: “AI will reshape the future of work. The question is whether we build systems that expand opportunity.”
The Harlem Times View: Our Communities Should Be First in Line
The reporting above is drawn from the Governor’s announcement. What follows is the view of The Harlem Times.
A training center in Queens is a subway ride from Harlem, not a world away. The jobs AI is creating will go to the people who prepare first. Uptown churches, community boards, libraries and youth programs should be asking Pursuit now how our residents get in the door, and our elected officials should be asking why the next hub is not on 125th Street.
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Learn more: aiji.pursuit.org
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