Nonprofit civic tech leader Code for America named New Jersey as one of only three states achieving the top-level designation of “Advanced” AI readiness, in a report release last week.
The designation underscores New Jersey’s leadership in AI and reflects sophisticated capabilities, comprehensive frameworks, and innovative approaches across three key areas related to AI adoption and implementation in state government: Leadership and Governance, AI Capacity Building, and Technical Infrastructure and Capabilities.
“The report, titled ‘Government AI Landscape Assessment,’ gave the state high marks: “New Jersey is advanced in its strong commitment to AI development through comprehensive policies, ethical frameworks, capacity building, and infrastructure investments. The state’s proactive approach positions it as a leader in responsible AI adoption and innovation.”
Murphy, who has pushed AI development an investment, obviously was pleased.
“Responsibly harnessing the immense potential of AI not only enhances government delivery to our residents but also positions New Jersey as a leader in economic growth in this rapidly evolving field,” he said. “I am pleased that the Garden State is being recognized for our ongoing efforts to effectively and ethically leverage innovation in ways that greatly benefit our residents, businesses, and other New Jersey institutions.”
With regard to leadership and governance, New Jersey was the first state to adopt an AI use policy. The report highlights Murphy’s establishment of the AI Task Force that has used artificial intelligence to engage with thousands of residents and workers. This engagement enabled and informed the administration’s short- and long-term goals across the areas of ethics, workforce training, innovation, and governance.
The state also adopted a far-reaching anti-discrimination policy to safeguard residents from misuse of AI in employment and housing.
Partnering with Princeton University, the N.J. Economic Development Authority, Microsoft, and CoreWeave, the state broke ground on the highly anticipated NJ AI Hub in March of this year. The Hub, first announced in 2023, will be a state-of the-art facility for researchers, industry leaders, startups, and other collaborators to pioneer breakthroughs and further New Jersey’s reputation as a global leader in AI.
Through the EDA, the state also launched the AI Innovation Challenge Administration Grant Program. Using state data, participating teams will build AI-based software solutions and compete in a series of events to receive a grant of nearly four million dollars that supports the development and launch of their software solutions.
“Under Gov. Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is harnessing the economic potential of AI by making crucial investments into entrepreneurs and companies leading the industry’s growth,” EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said. “Through NJEDA initiatives like the AI Innovation Challenge, as well as our collaborative efforts on the NJ AI Hub with Princeton University, Microsoft, and CoreWeave, the Garden State is well-positioned to lead in this exciting sector, creating high-quality jobs, transforming communities, and strengthening our economic competitiveness.”
New Jersey has also led in Capacity Building, the second framework evaluated in Code for America’s report.
“We are investing in upskilling our workers to accelerate their responsible and ethical use of AI to improve government services,” said Beth Simone Noveck, New Jersey State Chief AI Strategist. “These investments are translating into pathbreaking improvements in the delivery of services.”
The report spotlights the New Jersey AI Assistant, a GenAI tool which has been used by 15,000 state workers in just one year since its rollout in July of 2024.
Those workers – over 20 percent of the state workforce – have input more than 500,000 prompts into the tool, strengthening its capabilities to help future users. The AI Assistant is paired with a free, best-in-class training that New Jersey developed in partnership with InnovateUS – a training now used by more than 25 other states and local partners.
