22 Community Groups Selected to Lead “AI 101” Trainings, Host Listening Sessions, and Bring New Yorkers Into the Conversation.

New York, NY — This fall, the New York City Council Technology Chair Jennifer Gutierrez and Speaker Adams officially launched its Grassroots AI Education & Engagement Initiative — a first-of-its-kind effort to ensure everyday New Yorkers, especially those most impacted by systemic inequities, have a real voice in shaping how artificial intelligence is used across the city.

For years, AI has influenced who gets housing, how students are supported, how benefits are accessed, and how communities interact with government — but the public has rarely been invited to understand these systems, let alone influence them. This initiative flips that model: funding trusted community organizations, not tech elites, to deliver accessible “AI 101” education and gather real feedback from their neighborhoods.

Twenty-two organizations across all five boroughs will each receive $36,000 to train 400 community leaders, host more than 100 listening sessions, and distribute multilingual educational materials. A shared curriculum will be developed and supported by The Fund for the City of New York, AI for Nonprofits Sprint, and BetaNYC, who will serve as the coordinating entities.

Community Partners (potentially available for interview) 

(Full list available upon request)

  • El Puente
  • Arab American Association of New York
  • NAACP New York State Conference 
  • NY NICE / New Immigrant Community Empowerment 
  • Bronx Tech Hub 
  • Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) / Senior Planet 
  • The Smart Community Initiative 
  • Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) 
  • The Door – A Center of Alternatives

These partners were chosen for their deep neighborhood roots and long-standing relationships — not because they are AI experts. They will be trained and supported throughout the year to make sure New Yorkers get information that is culturally competent, accessible, and directly relevant to their lives.

“AI shouldn’t be something that happens to New Yorkers — it should be something we understand, influence, and shape together. By training community leaders in every borough, we’re building a foundation for a more democratic, inclusive future of technology in this city. Our voices, our values, and our lived experiences must guide how AI is built and used,” said Council Member and Technology Chair Jennifer Gutierrez. 

Steven Choi, Director of the Grassroots AI Project at the Fund for the City of New York said, “AI is already deeply impacting New Yorkers’ lives — housing, education, benefits, policing — without the people most affected ever being asked for their input. This initiative – the first of its kind across the country – begins to change that. This citywide network of trusted community organizations will not only be capable of educating neighbors and surfacing real lived experiences, but can hold AI systems and actors accountable. This is how we ensure that AI in New York is guided by the people it impacts.”

“BetaNYC is honored to join this coalition and bring a community-centered AI curriculum to all New Yorkers,” said Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC. “Together, we will demystify emerging tools, ground them in local experiences, and equip New Yorkers to question and co-create technology that serves our public needs. We hope to see you in one of the community classes!!”

Rich Leimsider, Director of the AI for Nonprofits Sprint said “The Council is taking a bold stance: that AI education belongs in community centers, not just tech conferences. Our work with 139 nonprofits has shown us that 77% of frontline staff, typically community members themselves, want to learn about AI, but lack accessible pathways. By funding neighborhood organizations to lead this work, the Council is building the kind of infrastructure that actually reaches people. We’re proud to help support this groundbreaking effort.”

Key Deliverables by June 2026

  • 400+ community leaders trained in a shared, accessible “AI 101” curriculum
  • 100+ listening sessions across the city to gather lived experiences and concerns
  • Multilingual materials and outreach campaigns tailored for local communities
  • Three citywide convenings to track progress and elevate community recommendations
  • A public briefing and digital dataset summarizing findings and policy needs

This initiative launches alongside Chair Gutiérrez’s AI Positioning Document and the passage of the GUARD Act — Guaranteeing Unbiased AI Regulation and Disclosure — the first comprehensive municipal framework in the nation designed to bring real oversight, accountability, and transparency to the City’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision systems (ADS).

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