Last October, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 346, which established the Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) Task Force to study emerging AI technologies, issue findings on their potential societal impacts, and offer recommendations for government actions to encourage the ethical and responsible use of AI technologies.

“As AI technologies continue to expand and advance at an unprecedented pace, New Jersey remains at the forefront, building up the Garden State as a hub for innovation,” said Governor Murphy. “This report details the potential for AI to improve the efficiency of state government services for our residents, while supporting our mission of building an equitable opportunity economy in the Garden State. I am grateful to the Task Force for their recommendations and look forward to implementing them in the coming months.”

The Task Force was led by Co-Chairs Chief AI Strategist Dr. Beth Noveck, Office of Information Technology Chief Technology Officer Christopher Rein, and Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority Tim Sullivan, as well as members that include the Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, the Commissioner of the Department of Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the Attorney General, or their designees. The Task Force consulted with industry leaders, academic experts, consumer advocates, and government innovators to build out its recommendations.

“AI promises to be the most consequential, transformative technology since the Internet, but that promise is not a guarantee. Thanks to all of our partners, we now have one of our nation’s first road maps to help ensure AI serves as a tool to enhance government services, improve workers’ lives, expand economic opportunities – especially for low-income families, and so much more,” said New Jersey Chief AI Strategist Beth Simone Noveck. “Rather than a top-down process, we created this road map by directly engaging public and private workers to ensure this technology is used to empower workers and serve residents. As Co-Chair of the State’s AI Task Force, I am enormously grateful to all of our partners for their hard work and their help in establishing New Jersey as a model for responsible and equitable innovation in AI.”

“When Governor Murphy appointed me as Co-Chair of New Jersey’s AI Task Force, it was both an honor and an opportunity to work closely with an amazing team of professionals across government, academia, private sector, and industry on this impactful technology,” said New Jersey Chief Technology Officer Christopher Rein. “Our team evaluated many areas of impact for the Executive Branch as we work to make use of GenAI in improving the services we deliver to our residents. Partnering with our Cybersecurity Director, our Chief Innovation Officer, and our State Agency leaders, I am excited to continue the journey we have begun.”

“This report will serve as a roadmap to help New Jersey emerge as a national leader in the industry, while ensuring our residents, workers, and businesses can safely take advantage of the opportunities and benefits that the industry provides. Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is capitalizing on this moment to help drive innovation, spur investment, create jobs, and build long-term economic growth across the state,” said CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority Tim Sullivan. 

Divided into four Working Groups, the AI Task Force closely evaluated and made recommendations for the following areas: 1. Security, Safety, and Privacy Considerations for AI Use Cases, 2. Workforce Training, Jobs of the Future, and Training Public Professionals, 3. AI, Equity, and Literacy, and 4. Making New Jersey a Hub for AI Innovation.

To inform its findings and recommendations, the Task Force led a nation-leading effort to survey New Jersey’s workforce, residents, institutions, and businesses on their views on AI technologies. The Task Force, through partnerships with Rutgers University, the Heldrich Center, and State agencies, surveyed thousands of public and private workers in the state, as well as businesses, the state’s higher education institutions, and residents.

Recommendations included ways to expand opportunities for AI education and literacy, promote a strong workforce and AI talent pipeline, address biases and discrimination, foster a collaborative AI innovation ecosystem and economy across the state, and bolster the State’s use of GenAI to support policy outcomes and improve the resident experience.

The initiative is part of Governor Murphy’s commitment to make New Jersey a national leader in AI. The Executive Order that established this Task Force also announced a nation-leading initiative to educate New Jersey’s State workforce about the development, use, and risks of AI, and directed the Administration to evaluate tools and strategies to improve government services through artificial intelligence, as well as explore ways in which artificial intelligence can stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and be deployed by employers to enhance training and talent development, especially for low-income residents.

In the time since:

• The Governor has unveiled an AI Tool for State employees, the NJ AI Assistant, used by over 7,000 State workers, and a comprehensive State training program, of which over 9,000 employees have started or completed;
• New Jersey and Princeton University have partnered together to create a new “AI Hub” to catalyze AI research, start-ups, and workforce development;
• The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is implementing Next New Jersey (P.L.2024, c.49), a new program that provides tax credits for businesses engaged in artificial intelligence work; and
• The New Jersey Department of Education is standing up new AI education grants focused on both teaching with AI and teaching about AI, as well as creating new AI-focused Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming.

The public can already find reliable, independent, and unbiased information about training and upskilling on the State’s new My Career NJ website, which uses AI to make personalized recommendations about career prospects and training needed to prepare for high-growth jobs.

These assessments and recommendations aim to help New Jersey shape its management of AI and further the state’s legacy of leadership in discovery and innovation.