Pursuit Plans 2027 Opening of Queens AI Jobs Institute in Long Island City

Pursuit plans to open an AI Jobs Institute in Long Island City in 2027, adding a Queens hub for work on AI career pathways, educator training and support for small businesses. The planned institute brings those efforts together with community-college programs and statewide expansion across New York.

Pursuit announced its launch plan in June 2026 alongside a $2.5 million Google.org grant. The grant runs from June 2026 through May 2029 and supports four workstreams: AI assistance for small businesses, educator training, community-college pathways and expansion across New York State.

Ascendium also awarded Pursuit a $4 million grant for June 2026 through May 2029. It is intended to build and scale AI career pathways through the institute. The two awards support related work, including pathways that connect training with community colleges and programs serving small businesses and educators.

The institute is planned as New York Metro’s technology workforce grows. The region counted 394,300 tech talent workers in 2025, an increase of 30,640 from 2022. The San Francisco Bay Area had 375,730 workers, down 23,900 over the same period.

Those totals cover more than 20 technology occupations across industries, including finance and health care. They measure workers across metro areas, rather than only people employed by technology companies. New York Metro’s workforce was larger by headcount, but it ranked fourth in a broader tech-talent assessment that also considered factors beyond workforce size, behind the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Toronto.

Pursuit was selected in March 2026 to lead New York State’s separate AI Prep for Jobs initiative. The AI Jobs Institute’s planned launch is in 2027.