Thursday, October 30, 2025
In today’s digest, more housing is coming, NYC bus news, and how companies are actually using AI. 🤖
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There’s a housing boom coming soon to Queens and the Bronx. The City Council approved rezonings in Jamaica, Long Island City, and Kingsbridge Heights that could add 27,000 new homes — the largest amount of housing from a neighborhood rezoning in at least a quarter century. 🏗️ (The CITY)
The Jamaica plan alone includes 12,000 apartments plus $413 million for sewers, parks, and a new community center.
Bus service to the city’s schools may be disrupted starting Monday. Several NYC bus companies have been operating without a contract since renewal negotiations in the summer, relying on month-to-month extensions, which expire Friday. At least three bus companies are threatening to shut down Monday if they don’t get a new contract. Here’s what parents need to know. 🚌 (NBC New York)
About half of the city’s vendors have signed a one-month emergency extension — meaning some buses will run, but routes are unclear.
In other bus news, new seating and leaning bars are coming to 8,750 bus stops across NYC. 🪑 (amNY)
Nearly two-thirds of bus stops currently do not have seating.
Starting next month, Department of Transportation officials will install seating at 875 bus stops every year over the next 10 years.
Fun fact: There are over 15,000 bus stops throughout the five boroughs.
In other reading:
Why thousands of trees and shrubs are coming to Prospect Park (New York Times)
It’s sample-sale season. Cue the professional line-standers. (Wall Street Journal)
New York City loves a little treat. Here are our 46 favorites (New York Times)
How Companies Are Actually Using Gen AI
The Wharton School’s third annual Accountable Acceleration report finds that generative AI is a core business tool, with measurable ROI. Here’s the breakdown 👇
🔎 The TL;DR: AI has gone mainstream in enterprise.
82% of executives now use generative AI at least weekly, and nearly half say daily.
72% of companies are tracking AI ROI, and three out of four already see positive returns.
Where the money’s going: Budgets are shifting from experiments to results: 88% expect to spend more on AI in the next year, and 30% of those budgets now go to internal R&D. 📈
Tech, banking, and professional services are leading the way; retail and manufacturing are still catching up.
⚙️ Everyday AI: Top use cases are data analysis, writing, and research. Basically all the unglamorous but essential stuff that runs the office.
Adoption is strongest in IT and procurement, while marketing and operations lag behind.
“The fact that [data analysis, meeting summation, and writing] are the top three tells you this is not a technology that is going to have a narrow impact on a particular function of a particular industry, but it’s going to have a wide impact across the economy,” Stefano Puntoni, co-author of the report, told the Wall Street Journal.
💡 The human factor: 89% say AI enhances skills, but 43% worry about skill decline without training.
Confidence in AI training dropped 14 points this year, and 49% of companies say hiring advanced AI talent is still tough.
⚠️ But wait! Not everyone’s seeing sunshine. Mid-level managers report less optimism. They’re the ones actually implementing the tech, not just announcing it on LinkedIn.
Wharton warns that without stronger training and trust, companies risk hitting an “AI plateau.”
The New York angle: This all tracks with Tech:NYC’s research with Accenture. Nearly all (99%) of the 500 NYC executives who responded to our 2025 survey plan to increase their recruitment for AI-related roles (up 20% from last year).
84% of employers have also upskilled existing employees into AI roles.
Read our report with Accenture here.
In other reading:
DoorDash launches emergency food response as SNAP funding cliff threatens to impact 40 million Americans (DoorDash)
AI agents are terrible freelance workers (WIRED)
Letting go can make you a better leader. Here’s how (Fast Company)
Arya Health, an NYC-based platform designed to automate scheduling, compliance, and other processes for home health and post-acute care providers, raised $18.2 million in Series A funding. ACME Capital led the round and was joined by Ridge Ventures, Twelve Below, and others.
Kaizen, an NYC-based developer of software designed for public services, raised $21 million in Series A funding. NEA led the round and was joined by 776, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Carpenter Capital.
Legora, an NYC-based collaborative AI platform for lawyers, raised $150 million in Series C funding at a $1.8 billion valuation. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round, joined by insiders Iconiq, General Catalyst, Redpoint Ventures, Benchmark, and YC.
Recess, an NYC- and LA-based developer of non-alcoholic beverages designed for relaxation, raised $30 million in Series B funding. CAVU Consumer Partners led the round and was joined by Rocana, Midnight Ventures, Torch Capital, and others.
November 1: The Lady Liberty Ride with DearSarah, a free NYC harbor ferry ride celebrating Lady Liberty, entrepreneurship, and tech for good, honoring the spirit of liberty and equality ahead of the DearSarah app pre-launch. Register here.
November 3: AI in Real Estate: A Conversation, unpacking the state of play for AI in real estate, including where it’s delivering value now and which parts of the stack are ripest for disruption. Register here.
November 4-5: SmartCon’s Finance, Reimagined conference, bringing together governments, financial institutions, and top Web3 projects in New York to shape how blockchain is transforming finance, markets, and public services worldwide. Register here.
November 7: AcceleratorCon, for top early-stage founders connect directly with investors, accelerators, and ecosystem partners. Register with promo code NYCDIGEST for a 30% discount here.
November 10: NYU Tandon Future Labs x Morrison Foerster Catalyst SS25 AI Startup Showcase: The Elevator Pitch, an evening of AI innovation and networking where NYC’s VCs, angels, and founders gather to watch nine pre-seed AI startup demos perform live elevator pitches (yes, in an actual elevator) and a competition to crown the Top New AI Startup of the Night. Register here.
November 11-12: Urban Tech Summit, offering insights and examples of how researchers, companies, governments, and communities can continue to drive innovation, and how urban tech can help cities do more with less as they prepare for the future. Register here.
November 12: From Lab to Launch: Female Founders Building in Deep Tech, a curated cocktail hour followed by an intimate panel discussion with female founders and leaders in the deep tech space. Register here.
November 17-18: Momentum AI Finance 2025, bringing together 300+ senior financial leaders to share real-world strategies for scaling intelligent automation, building trusted AI stacks, and driving responsible innovation across the industry. Register here.
November 19: Join Glean and The Atlantic’s CEO Nicholas Thompson for Beyond Pilots: How Organizations Can Turn AI Into Real Results, a summit on AI produced by Glean. Apply to attend in person here.
November 19: Decoded Futures Build Day, a day of collaboration between technologists and nonprofit organizations to explore practical, hands-on ways to apply AI to real challenges. Register here. Want to volunteer? Apply here.
December 10-11: The AI Summit New York, a platform for enterprise leaders and tech innovators to explore and apply commercial AI, featuring Flybidge’s Jesse Middleton, NYCEDC’s Jonathan Schulhof, and Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels discussing NYC’s startup ecosystem. Register here.
December 10: The AI Summit NY Healthcare Happy Hour, a mixer for healthcare and pharma professionals after day one of the AI Summit in New York. Register here.
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