Tuesday, June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 

In today’s digest, Primary Day, AI rises at work, and the controversial swans of Brooklyn. 🦢

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  • Today is Primary Day! ☑️ It’s a day we’ve all been waiting for, and once the polls close tonight at 9, we’ll likely still be in waiting mode. 😩 Here are five things to watch for as the polls close. (City & State)

    • The Democratic mayoral primary is front and center. Keep a close eye here for vote tabulations.

    • But it’s not just the mayoral candidates on the ballot. Other races we’re watching include city comptroller, public advocate, and City Council seats. 

    • Get to know how your neighbors voted in previous City Council elections here.

    • You can also follow the day’s voting festivities with City & State’s live blog.

  • In case you haven’t noticed, temperatures have kicked up to over 90 degrees this week. But come Friday, you can beat the heat by the pool. NYC’s outdoor public pools will be open from 11am to 7pm daily, including Harlem’s newest pool, which can fit more than 1,000 swimmers. 🏊 (NBC New York)

  • Following a demand from Mayor Eric Adams, all 20,000 pedal-assist Citi Bike e-bikes now have maximum speeds of 15mph. 🚲💨 (Gothamist)

    • The new 15mph limit also applies to riders on other e-bikes, even if they are able to exceed that speed.

    • The maximum speed for Citi Bike e-bikes was previously 18mph. 

In other reading:

  • Baby swans are the new stars in Brooklyn. But fame comes with a cost (Gothamist)

  • Coney Island makes a splash at 43rd annual Mermaid Parade (Brooklyn Paper)

  • NY’s LIRR and Metro-North to get more than 300 new rail cars (Bloomberg)

Yesterday, we discussed how it has increasingly felt like the workday never ends. Enter: AI. 🤖

📈 Explosive growth: The pace of AI usage at work has accelerated over the past two years, according to a new report from Gallup:

  • AI, captain: The percentage of workers who have used AI in their role a few times a year or more has nearly doubled in two years, from 21% to 40%. 

  • Frequent flyers: Frequent AI use (a few times a week or more) has also nearly doubled, from 11% to 19%.

  • Daily double: Daily AI use has doubled in the past 12 months alone, from 4% to 8%.

And as AI usage becomes more common, leading to increased productivity, better workflow, and greater automation of mundane tasks, it’s easy to see why more employers are seeking out more AI-skilled employees.

🦵 But here’s the kicker:

Now enter: Decoded Futures at the Tech:NYC Foundation, which bridges the gap between the nonprofit sector and AI. 

  • The team recently spoke at Robin Hood’s Opportunity x AI Summit about the importance of upskilling the workforce in AI, especially the nonprofit workforce. 

  • Check out the presentation and subscribe to the Decoded Futures Substack here.

In other reading:

  • Goldman Sachs announces firmwide launch of AI assistant (Fox Business)

  • Waymo wants to bring its robotaxis to New York City (Wall Street Journal)

  • How recent grads can get a job — even in a challenging labor market (Time)

  • Veda, an NYC-based DeFi vault infrastructure platform, raised $18 million in funding. CoinFund led the round and was joined by Coinbase Ventures, GSR, Maelstrom, angel investors, and others.

  • June 25: Techie Tapas, to give techies a space to network, collaborate, and build community. Register here.

  • June 25: The Evolving Role of HR in the Age of AI, an intimate conversation on what’s working, what’s uncertain, and what HR leaders need to pay attention to right now. Register here.

  • June 25-26: Fundraising Strategy & Storytelling, a two-day workshop for early-stage founders to tighten their pitch, refine their deck, and get live feedback on fundraising strategy from top investors and operators. Register with promo code BRDERLESS20 here.

  • June 26: When AI Meets Affordable Housing – Justice Through Code Graduation Showcase, a virtual showcase featuring four affordable housing AI solutions developed by fellows from Columbia’s Justice Through Code program. Register here.

  • June 26: 2025 AI Hot 100 Annual Summit, bringing together some of the world’s most cracked AI startup founders from across the globe. Register here.

  • June 27: Healthcare AI Coffee, a morning of caffeine and conversation with fellow builders at the intersection of AI and healthcare. Register here.

  • July 1: Build Games Meetup, an evening of gaming, networking, and sharing use cases on building with AI developer tools. Register here.

  • July 2: AI Builders Lunch w/ Next Wave NYC, an intimate lunch bringing together NYC-based AI founders, engineers, and product builders. Register here.

  • July 8-9: What Businesses & Communities Need to Know about the NY Health Information Privacy Act, a free, virtual webinar series featuring expert panelists who will explain the potential implications of New York State Bill S929 on your organization, should the legislation be enacted. Register here.


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