How an AI-Native Training Program Is Expanding Economic Opportunity for New Yorkers and Small Businesses

Artificial intelligence is often framed as a force that will replace jobs or leave small businesses behind. In New York City, a different reality is taking shape - one where AI is being used to strengthen local businesses, open doors to good jobs, and build economic opportunity from the ground up.

This December, Pursuit is celebrating the graduation of its first AI-Native training cohort: 34 adult learners from low-income communities who completed intensive training and were compensated as paid consultants on real business projects. Through a focused small business pilot, 10 of those Builders were embedded as paid AI consultants inside 10 New York City small and medium-sized businesses, helping those businesses integrate practical AI tools into their day-to-day operations across government contracting, tourism support platforms, logistics, and community-servicing enterprises.

The idea behind the pilot was simple: when AI is put to work the right way, it creates opportunity. It helps adults build durable career pathways, it helps small businesses grow, adapt, and compete, and it helps New York City’s economy move forward.

That idea comes to life in Queens at Utleys LLC, a rapid prototyping and custom fabrication firm where decades of experience are critical to getting complex client concepts into tangible, precision-manufactured realities. For years, senior managers translated dense client communications into detailed work orders by hand, relying on institutional knowledge built over more than 20 years.

Ethan Davey, a Pursuit AI-Native course graduate worked directly with John Utley and the Utley's team for six weeks to design an AI-assisted work-order drafting system. Drawing on historical job data, the tool generates clear, standardized drafts while keeping managers fully in control through human review and approval. The result is faster turnaround, fewer errors, and preserved expertise in a high-stakes environment.

In Brooklyn, Pursuit AI-Native course graduate Kalila Green partnered with Shaun Coggins Inc., a minority-owned government contracting firm, to focus on a barrier many small businesses face: getting a fair shot. Government contracts can unlock real growth, but the complexity and time required to respond to RFPs often push smaller firms out of the running before they can even compete.

Working closely with the team, Green helped build an AI-powered proposal tool that breaks down dense RFPs into clear requirements and helps businesses quickly assemble professional, tailored responses. By reducing hours of manual work and supporting collaboration across partners, the system allows business owners to spend less time buried in paperwork—and more time deciding which opportunities are truly worth pursuing.

“AI can level the playing field,” Green said. “It turns opportunity into something businesses can actually reach.”

Also in Brooklyn, working with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Pursuit AI-Native course graduate Valery Rene focused on a challenge many local businesses face: being seen. Brooklyn’s neighborhoods are rich with restaurants, shops, and cultural spaces, but too often they’re overlooked by visitors navigating the city.

Working with Mark Caserta from the Chamber, Rene helped build an AI-powered experience that turns the Chamber’s tourism platform into a personalized guide—helping visitors discover local businesses based on where they are, what they care about, and how much time they have. The tool doesn’t just send people to Brooklyn; it helps them explore it more thoughtfully, driving foot traffic to under-promoted neighborhoods while giving the Chamber better insight into what visitors are actually looking for.

In Flushing, Queens at small hybrid mailing center Mei Way Mail Plus LLC, reliability is everything. Serving primarily immigrant communities and local small businesses, the team handles time-sensitive mail and packages where accuracy, clear communication, and trust matter every day. As customer volume grows, the challenge is scaling without losing the personal care people depend on.

Pursuit AI-Native course graduate Ariel Chen worked with Madison Rosa to build a behind-the-scenes AI-enabled system that brings order and clarity to daily operations by helping staff track mail more consistently, reduce errors, and keep customers informed across language preferences. The result is a smoother workflow that frees up time for staff to focus on people.

“The best AI is invisible,” Rosa said. “It supports people so relationships stay front and center.”

Together, these projects reflect the heart of the SMB pilot: AI is not about replacing people. It is about strengthening them. When paired with the right training and real-world application, AI becomes a tool for mobility and resilience.

The SMB pilot was not designed in isolation. Making AI useful for small businesses and accessible to workers requires public-sector leadership, private-sector investment, trusted intermediaries, and talent working together.

That reality was underscored during a panel conversation moderated by Devika Gopal Agge, Pursuit’s Chief Development and Employer Services Officer, bringing together partners shaping how AI reaches small businesses across New York City.

Cecil Apostol, Chief Business Development Officer at the NYC Department of Small Business Services, emphasized the importance of pairing emerging technologies like AI with real support—so neighborhood businesses can move from awareness to action through access to capital, technical assistance, and workforce programs.
Brian Shoicket, Vice President of Innovation at NYCEDC, reflected on the city’s responsibility to invest in innovation in ways that keep small businesses and workers connected to growth as new technologies take hold.

Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the role of trusted intermediaries in helping business owners see AI not as a risk, but as a practical tool for resilience and competitiveness.

Together, the panel and the projects made one thing clear: AI works best when it strengthens people, helping small businesses grow, supporting workers, and building a more inclusive local economy.

“This work is about people and possibility,” said Devika Gopal Agge, Pursuit’s Chief Development and Employer Services Officer. “Pursuit’s AI-Native training program creates a path for adults from low-income communities to gain the skills they need to thrive in the AI economy while small and medium-sized businesses can use AI to grow, adapt, and compete. This is how we build an economy that works for all New Yorkers.”

The pilot was made possible with support from Amazon and Google.org, whose investment helped turn learning into real-world impact.

“If we are going to unlock the full potential of AI to tackle the world’s most challenging problems, we need to make AI education accessible to anyone with a desire to learn,” said Jennifer Cruickshank, Director of Public Policy and Community Engagement at Amazon. “Pursuit’s pilot shows how hands-on AI training can create opportunity for New Yorkers while giving small businesses practical tools to grow.”

Reggie Thomas, Google New York’s Public Policy lead, “AI should work for everyone. Programs like this demonstrate how accessible, applied training can open doors for workers and help small businesses solve real problems in their communities.”