New Jersey Fulfills Nation-Leading AI Education Commitment with Training Course for State Government Workers

TRENTON – Building on his nation-leading AI training initiative for New Jersey’s State workforce, Governor Phil Murphy announced the launch of the NJ AI Assistant, a generative AI-powered platform for New Jersey State employees, along with the roll out of one of the nation’s first comprehensive generative AI (GenAI) training programs for State employees.

The NJ AI Assistant is a powerful GenAI tool offering a safe, “sandbox” environment for staff at State departments and agencies to use AI to responsibly improve government services and operations. The tool is hosted on State infrastructure, features heightened security and privacy protections, and does not use State data to train a third-party AI model.

The release of the NJ AI Assistant comes with the launch of a baseline GenAI training course that instructs State government professionals in how to responsibly use the technology to deliver the best possible service to the people of New Jersey. The training, created in partnership with InnovateUS, was specifically designed for State workers and helps ensure any use of AI is safe, secure, respectful of residents’ privacy, free of bias, and in line with State policies.

“With the launch of the State’s very own AI Assistant and the GenAI training course, we are on the cusp of a new era of government transformation. We are empowering our public servants with the knowledge, skills, and training to comfortably and responsibly leverage this technology to solve real problems for New Jerseyans,“ said Governor Phil Murphy. “I look forward to all the ways our State departments and agencies will put this technology to good use, ensuring New Jersey remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

“Generative AI is evolving in real time, and now our public workforce will be on the forefront of advancing this technology and helping to realize its boundless potential to build a better New Jersey,” said New Jersey State Chief AI Strategist Beth Simone Noveck. “This tool and training will help State departments enhance public service delivery, improve efficiency, and ensure these innovations are accessible and beneficial to all New Jerseyans, while protecting their rights and privacy.”

“This is a powerful example of government technology and policies at their best. Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is proactively shaping best practices for how we can harness the full potential of AI for the public good and ensure it is responsibly and equitably used to make our lives better,” said New Jersey State Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole. “The Office of Innovation has seen incredible results with its early uses of AI, and we are excited to see these tools in the hands of even more public sector employees.”

“New Jersey government professionals have shown time and time again their incredible dedication, innovative thinking, and diligence in serving the people of our State. That is why we are so committed to ensuring State employees have access to the latest training and resources,” said Allison Chris Myers, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission (CSC). “With CSC’s Center for Learning and Improving Performance’s new course in AI, staff will gain skills that leverage cutting-edge technology in order to better serve residents.”

“Generative AI holds tremendous potential in enhancing government services and uplifting communities, but we must ensure we are applying this technology equitably and securely,” said New Jersey State Chief Technology Officer Chris Rein. “The NJ AI Assistant and training course demonstrate our ongoing commitment to ensuring government use of this technology is respectful of residents’ privacy, free of bias, and equitable. We will not lose sight of this commitment, as we work to bring the benefits of AI to residents.”

Designed in consultation with federal, state, industry, and academic leaders as well as New Jersey’s public sector workforce, the AI training course offers an overview of generative AI, best practices for responsible use in day-to-day work, and strategies for identifying and overcoming risks like bias. The training also provides hands-on guidance in how to use GenAI to suggest plain language improvements to public information, summarize lengthy documents, brainstorm and generate new content, and more. The course is free and voluntary for all State employees and can be completed at an individual’s own pace.

Meanwhile, the NJ AI Assistant provides State employees with a powerful AI tool to test the use cases described in the training on a secure platform with heightened security and data protections.

State departments and agencies have already begun using generative AI in limited cases to improve services. Working with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Office of Innovation has used AI to help rewrite emails in plain language and residents have been responding 35% faster as a result. At the ANCHOR property tax program call center, the New Jersey Division of Taxation has been using AI tools to analyze calls to generate better self-service menu options, so residents can find what they need without waiting on hold to speak to an agent, leading to a 50% increase in the number of successfully resolved calls.

The AI training and NJ AI Assistant tool build on the policy Governor Murphy announced in November that guides State employees in responsibly using generative AI to improve how government delivers services to New Jersey residents. These moves come as part of Executive Order No. 346, which established the New Jersey AI Task Force and also directed the State’s Office of Information Technology to develop policies to govern and facilitate use of artificial intelligence technologies by Executive Branch departments and agencies.

The AI training course is available to State government employees through the New Jersey Civil Service Commission’s learning management system.