Friday, March 20, 2026
Welcome to another Friday edition of the Tech:NYC Digest, featuring our favorite five highlights in New York and tech this week.
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Hochul aims to strike a balance on AI (Politico Pro)
Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered an address at the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) Power Breakfast, outlining a middle-ground approach to New York’s role in leading on AI, including the launch of the FutureWorks Commission to make sure we invest in and protect New Yorkers as AI technology advances. 🤖
“There’s a lot of opportunity that new technology brings, and there's challenges,” said Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels to Politico. “I appreciate that she can hold those two things as true at the same time.”
Staten Island ice cream shop takes a top prize at city-wide competition (SILive)
Brooklyn had its own version of March Madness last week, one that included a few more “bubble teams.” 🫧
We’re talking, of course, about Brooklyn SeltzerFest, which brought together 1,000+ fizz enthusiasts for tastings, comedy, music and the Third National Egg Cream Invitational.
Staten Island’s Egger’s Ice Cream parlor rose to the top, defeating heavy hitters from Brooklyn, Manhattan, New Jersey, and even Austin.
Citizens’ vision inspired a new park under the Brooklyn Bridge (New York Times)
Ever stroll through the city and think, ‘Huh, that could be a park!’ 🤔 Rosa Chang, an architectural consultant, wandered by a long-neglected space beneath the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge several years ago and did just that. And then she acted on it.
⏩ Fast-forward a few years (and a few million dollars), and the area is now being transformed into Gotham Park, a nine-acre public space with plans for recreation, culture, and community gathering. 🌳
The New Museum reopens with a second building and a much bigger idea of what a museum can be (Time Out New York)
The New Museum is living up to its name. 🆕
After a major expansion on the Bowery, the New Museum reopens tomorrow with nearly double the space and double the vision — the new building adds artist studios, education space, a permanent home for the museum’s incubator, and other rooms meant for workshops, talks, and creative experimentation.
‘Plogging’ fitness trend is taking over New York City’s dirty streets — and keeping people in shape (NY Post)
Talk about being a gym rat: New York’s hottest trend, known as “plogging,” involves picking up litter while jogging. 🏃♀️
New York Road Runners has helped popularize the practice by organizing group plogging events ahead of big races like the NYC Half and the New York City Marathon.
Keep it clean this weekend, New York! 🧼
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