Artificial intelligence firms are feasting on Manhattan office space

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ☁️☔ Cloudy this morning, then rain likely this afternoon, with possible thunderstorms and highs in the mid 70s.

It's Monday in New York City, where artificial intelligence firms took out 1 million square feet of office space just in the first quarter of 2026.

This influx of AI companies — many of which are clustered around Madison Square, the Flatiron and Union Square — has positioned New York City as the world's second-most popular AI hub behind the San Francisco Bay Area.

But City Comptroller Mark Levine has warned that the local economy could take a major hit if the AI industry goes bust.

Here's what projections say about how AI could change the city over the next five years.

And here's what else is happening:

• Things have turned nasty in a Republican congressional primary in upstate New York, where President Donald Trump has endorsed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino over party-backed Robert Smullen.
• Meanwhile, in New York City, the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed eight candidates for offices in Albany, hoping to maintain momentum from Mayor Zohran Mamdani's win last year.
  • Here's our guide to voting in tomorrow's congressional and state comptroller primary.
• Amtrak sent a letter this morning to "reinforce" its offer for the MTA to sign on as a "fully involved" partner in the federal government’s plan to renovate Penn Station.
• The Trump administration is overhauling its largest homeless assistance program, a move that housing providers say could strip funding from about 2,800 formerly homeless households in New York City.
• The NYPD said four people, including two teens, were shot in a park in Harlem early Sunday morning.
• Meet Charles Catherine, an Upper West Sider and the captain of the USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team.

• Authorities said a 51-year-old concertgoer at Madison Square Garden fell from a balcony and died during a Goose show on Saturday.
• There's a vigil in Central Park today for the 18-year-old who died in a carriage horse crash last week.
• The Port Authority is partnering with a drone company to test out whether little flying robots can safely make deliveries in New York City.
• Washington Heights native and former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan has died at the age of 100.
• Congrats to 29-year-old Upper West Sider Noah Krauss on being named the new principal cellist for the Metropolitan Opera, where he'll work alongside his dad, principal trumpeter David Krauss.
• "It was the last bastion of Greek food in Dimes Square": Kiki's may or may not be closing, if that means anything to you.
• Goo.