Mayor Adams Announces Technology, Innovation Office

New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed Executive Order 3 into effect on Jan. 19, establishing a new Office of Technology and Innovation for New York City. The new office reconfigures the existing Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications by consolidating the city’s tech agencies. The Office of Technology and Innovation will be in charge of executing the mayor’s major tech initiatives and reworking how the city utilizes technology. 

Executive Order 3 centralizes authority of the city’s various tech agencies under Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew C. Fraser. This centralization of authority is in part, aimed at encouraging interagency collaboration and promoting efficiency within the government’s technology-related offices. 

Consolidation among tech agencies will also ensure the city’s ability to collaborate with New York’s tech industry, especially as the industry continues to grow despite obstacles posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of Technology and Innovation will also work to close the digital divide among New Yorkers. The office will lead efforts to establish MyCity, Adam’s proposed plan for a centralized portal with access to all of the city’s services and benefits.

Other aspects of the order include the discontinuation of the Algorithms and Management Policy Officer role, launched in 2019. The Office of Technology and Innovation will now oversee the city’s use of algorithms. 

The mayor did not announce if any layoffs would take place as a result of the consolidation.

For more New York City Technology news and culture, follow us on Instagram and Twitter @NYCWired.