About
The show about the people building AI in New York
92
episodes since 2021
49
guests in the directory
4
hosts working in AI
2
closed-door dinner formats
Why we exist
New York builds AI differently
49 guests on the show so far, and counting. See the guest directory →
Most AI coverage is written from the West Coast and centered on the labs training frontier models. New York’s story is different. The city is where AI meets the industries that actually buy it — finance, insurance, media, advertising, healthcare, law, fashion, real estate — and where a lot of the hard work of deploying models inside regulated, revenue-generating businesses happens.
That work rarely makes headlines, and the people doing it are often too busy to write about it. The AI in NYC Show exists to put them on the record: how they found their first customers, what broke in production, how they hired, how they raised, and what they’d tell someone starting today.
We keep the conversations practical. Our hosts build and research AI products themselves, so interviews go past the pitch to the details other builders can use — architecture choices, pricing, go-to-market, compliance, and the trade-offs behind each one.
What we do
A show, a newsletter, and a table
The AI in NYC Show
Video interviews with the people building New York’s AI companies, published on YouTube and every major podcast app. Each episode gets its own page with a summary, the guests, chapters, and — as they’re added — a full transcript.
Browse all episodes →The newsletter
A free weekly email on AI, tech, and New York City: new episodes, the companies and events worth knowing about, and first word when a dinner is scheduled.
About the newsletter →The Dinner Series
Closed-door dinners for 8–12 people under Chatham House Rule. AI Founders & Builders Dinner and AI Leader Dinner — peers only, no decks, no pitching, guests sourced first from people we’ve interviewed.
See the dinners →Our history
Three names, one conversation
The show has been on the air since 2021. It has changed names twice as its focus narrowed from AI investing in general to the people building AI in New York.
2021 · 17 episodes
Investing in AI
The podcast began as a companion to Rob May’s Investing in AI newsletter: long-form conversations with the investors and founders backing the first wave of applied machine learning companies.
2023 · 34 episodes
AI Innovators
The focus moved from the cap table to the product: shorter interviews with the people building AI into credit, insurance, retail, sales, media, and forecasting.
2025 · 41 episodes
AI in NYC Show
Relaunched as a video show rooted in New York, with hosts who work in AI themselves, and expanded into a newsletter and a dinner series.
What we cover
The topics on the show
Every AI in NYC Show episode is tagged by subject. Here’s how the 41 episodes since the relaunch break down — most touch more than one.
- Founders & Startups17
- Enterprise AI10
- Venture & Funding8
- Agents & Software7
- Infrastructure & Chips7
- Culture & Society6
- Work, Talent & Education5
- Governance, Law & Trust5
Looking for someone specific? The guest directory lists all 49 guests with their company and episode.
The hosts
Builders interviewing builders
Rob May
Co-Founder & CEO, Neurometric
Rob is the co-founder and CEO of Neurometric, a startup focused on optimizing inference for multi-model AI systems. Prior to Neurometric, he founded and scaled Backupify (acquired by Datto), and has made over 100 angel investments in the AI sector. He is the author of the book Investing in AI: Six Mental Models to Tell Moats from Traps (2026) and the Investing in AI newsletter, and holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, bringing a deep technical perspective to AI infrastructure.
Anna Kirk
Sales Lead, Thread AI
Anna is the Sales Lead at Thread AI, where she helps organizations navigate the implementation of cutting-edge AI workflows. Before joining Thread AI, she built a career at the intersection of enterprise technology and business development, focusing on how companies can leverage emerging hardware. She is a leading voice on the practicalities of GPU infrastructure and the specific challenges of finding product-market fit for enterprise AI tools.
Lauren Slyman
User Researcher, Microsoft
Lauren is a user researcher at Microsoft, working on Copilot for Azure. She came to research from consulting, where she helped Fortune 500 leadership teams through large-scale transformation programs. She writes about AI in human terms, from enterprise adoption to AI’s climate footprint, and is working on a book. She speaks and judges at New York tech events, including QonfX and Microsoft’s NY Tech Week hackathon.
Stephen Messer
Co-Founder, Collective[i]
Stephen is the co-founder of Collective[i], the AI company behind Intelligence.com, and one of New York’s earliest internet entrepreneurs. He co-founded LinkShare in the 1990s, raising its first round in 1996 at a time when most venture firms wouldn’t back a New York company. He studied law at Cardozo, invests as an angel, and writes about AI, venture and enterprise software at Reload NYC. He was the show’s guest on Episode 2 before joining as a co-host.
Get involved
Work with us
- Suggest a guest. Know someone building something interesting in New York? Send us a note or email hello@aiinnycshow.com.
- Sponsor the show. Reach founders, engineers, and investors working in AI — see partnerships or email partnerships@aiinnycshow.com.
- Hiring? Post a New York AI role on the job board.
- Follow along on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Instagram.
FAQ
What is AI in NYC?
AI in NYC is a video podcast, a weekly newsletter, and a closed-door dinner series about the people building artificial intelligence in New York City — founders, operators, engineers, investors, and the enterprise leaders putting AI to work.
Who hosts the AI in NYC Show?
The show is hosted by Rob May (co-founder and CEO of Neurometric), Anna Kirk (Sales Lead at Thread AI), Lauren Slyman (user researcher at Microsoft), and Stephen Messer (co-founder of Collective[i]). All four work in AI day to day, so the conversations stay practical.
How long has the show been running?
Since February 2021. It started as Investing in AI, became AI Innovators in 2023, and relaunched as the AI in NYC Show in October 2025. Every earlier episode is listed in the archive on the episodes page.
How do I suggest a guest or get on the show?
Use the contact form on the homepage and pick “Guest Suggestion”, or email hello@aiinnycshow.com. Tell us who the person is, what they’re building, and why it matters to New York’s AI community.
Where can I watch or listen?
Full episodes are on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and every episode is listed on this site with a summary and guest details.
Who runs AI in NYC?
AI in NYC is operated by AI Media Concepts Inc. Sponsorship and partnership questions go to partnerships@aiinnycshow.com; everything else to hello@aiinnycshow.com.