Murphy Administration Releases Report from Artificial Intelligence Task Force

Gov. Phil Murphy recently received the Report to the Governor on Artificial Intelligence from the Artificial Intelligence Task Force.

The task force consulted with industry leaders, academic experts, consumer advocates, and government innovators to build out its recommendations, which 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 generative AI to support policy outcomes and improve the resident experience.

“The New Jersey School Boards Association applauds the governor for establishing this task force, which consulted a broad range of stakeholders to determine how we can harness AI to achieve positive outcomes across education,” said Dr. Timothy Purnell, executive director and CEO of the NJSBA. “I am especially excited about the potential for AI to enhance support in classrooms and other crucial areas, such as mental health and counseling, providing additional resources to help our students. A key takeaway from the report, however, is the critical role of human presence alongside AI to ensure that technology complements, rather than replaces, the invaluable role of personal interaction. The report offers valuable guidance for board members, school administrators and education stakeholders on topics like avoiding bias and discrimination in AI, promoting equity and digital literacy, and preparing students for its impact in the workplace.”

In October 2023, Murphy signed Executive Order No. 346, which established the Artificial Intelligence 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,”Murphy said in a news release. “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.”

“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. 

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.

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.

The Executive Order that established the 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 Murphy 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 its news release, the governor’s office also noted:

• 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. 
• The New Jersey Department of Education is offering 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 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.

Learn more in the full news release.