Tech:NYC Digest: August 15

Tech:NYC Digest: August 15

August 15, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

In today’s digest, stepping up calls for worker authorization permits for asylum seekers, the MTA fare hikes going into effect, and how the explosion in AI hiring is changing worker résumés.

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  • Mayor Eric Adams, joined by other city leaders, once again publicly implored the federal government to provide more support for the city’s ongoing migrant crisis. (Gothamist)

    • More than 100,000 asylum-seekers are now estimated to have arrived in New York. In addition to financial relief, city officials are stepping up calls for the White House to approve temporary work authorizations for new arrivals.

  •  A heads up to parents: Ahead of the next academic year, some NYC schools are adjusting their arrival and dismissal times to accommodate new professional development and planning rules. (Gothamist)

    • (NYC schools have historically had discretion to define the times of their school days within certain limits.)

  • Brooklynites: Curbside composting is coming your way next. (TimeOut New York) Right now, the program is optional, but will become mandatory by the end of next year. You can order free composting bins online now, and the city will begin dropping them off at residences on Sept. 1.

In other reading:

  • What to know about the MTA fare hikes going into effect this week (PIX11)

  • Where I Ate in New York City (New York Times)

  • It’s Tomato Season! (At NYC Bars.) (Grub Street)

It’s no surprise that hiring for AI roles is up — recent data found they now count for almost 10% of all tech job postings — so it follows that more workers are now claiming the skills to get those jobs.

The impact: A rapid expansion of AI skills is underway as workers race to meet the demands from employers and from a changing industry, writes Axios.

  • A survey of 3,000 executives conducted by IBM estimated that 40% of their workforce will need to be reskilled in the next three years as their businesses introduce AI tools.

  • Already, LinkedIn members are using keywords like “prompt engineering” and "generative artificial intelligence” 15 times more frequently in their profiles now than in January, and the number of ChatGPT users claiming AI skills doubled in just seven months.

Tech skills go far beyond the tech sector, and AI will be no different: As Axios previously reported, AI skills are all but sure to transform job functions across all sectors — not just for software engineers. Businesses that rely on significant marketing, sales, and customer service needs could be particularly impacted. 

  • Yes, but: Higher demand for AI skills doesn’t mean lower demand for “people skills”: 92% of executives in a recent LinkedIn study called them “more important than ever.”

The takeaway: Buying better tech isn’t the entire answer. Successful adoption of AI will also require the skilled workers who know how to use it.

In other reading:

  • Grit, a NYC-based AI code cleanup platform, raised $7 million in funding. Founders Fund and Abstract Ventures co-led the round and were joined by Quiet Capital, 8VC, A* Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, SV Angel, Operator Partners, CoFound Partners, and Uncorrelated Ventures. 

  • In-Seam, a NYC-based shopping platform for stylists, personal shoppers and department store associates, raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. Far Out VC led the round.

  • Mixlab, a NYC-based developer of vet pharmacy tech, raised $10 million in Series A extension funding. Vanterra Ventures led the round and was joined by Lakehouse Ventures.

  • August 17: Virtual: State of Private Markets, Silver Linings of Q2, with Carta head of insights Peter Walker and January Ventures general partner Maren Bannon. Hosted by Carta. Register here.

  • August 17: In-person: Fundraising for Fintech Founders, with Primary VC partner Emily Man, Anthemis investor Bukie Adebo Umeano, and Flychain CEO Ethan Schwarzbach. Hosted by Forum Venture, Anthemis, and Rise. Register here.  

  • August 21: In-person: Mapping for Equity: A New Way NYC’s Public Amenities, with Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, and BetaNYC. Register here.

  • August 22: Virtual: #notapitch: Unofficial Feedback on Your Idea/Prototype from a VC, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures partner Charlie O’Donnell. Register here.

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