N.J. Setting AI Policy For State Employees

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has announced a new policy that will provide instruction and create parameters for state employees to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology responsibly.

The policy aims at empowering government employees to use AI tools while making certain that the use of those technologies will be disclosed, and that no confidential information or data will be shared in connection with their use.

“New Jersey’s public sector professionals are absolutely essential to ensuring that the Garden State leads the nation as the best place in this country to live, work, and raise a family,” said Gov. Murphy. “We must continue to invest in our public sector workforce and equip them with the tools, skills, and knowledge to deliver best-in-class services to our residents, businesses, and institutions.”

“Providing this guidance is just the first step to empowering our public workers to leverage innovative technologies like artificial intelligence by ensuring that our public professionals can use these powerful tools responsibly and confidently,” the governor said.

The policy on state employees responsible AI use follows Gov. Murphy’s creation of an Artificial Intelligence Task Force last month.

As part of this new policy, the New Jersey Office of Innovation collaborated with InnovateUS to create an explainer video to support New Jersey’s public sector professionals in understanding better how AI can be utilized responsibly on a day-to-day basis.

The state government will follow up the instructional video with more extensive training for New Jersey’s state workforce about the use and development of AI tech. More training will be launched next year in a collaboration between the New Jersey Office of Innovation and InnovateUS to create an at-your-own-pace AI training program and live workshops for state employees.

“Generative artificial intelligence has the potential to unlock new opportunities for the public sector to engage with residents at scale, effectively use data in new ways, communicate more inclusively, and deliver more effective and equitable services to New Jerseyans,” said Beth Simone Noveck, the state of New Jersey’s chief innovation officer. “In order to realize that potential, we must invest in training public workers to use emerging technologies in a responsible, equitable, and secure manner.”

As part of the governor’s order that created the AI task force, the Office of Information Technology was tasked with creating policies to facilitate and govern the use of AI technologies by executive branch departments and agencies.

The governor’s office said that policy work “will provide the foundation for future policies developed in consultation with industry, academic, and government experts to reflect the latest technological developments.”

“Protecting the privacy of residents and the security of state government systems is paramount,” said New Jersey State Chief Technology Officer Chris Rein. “Generative AI is rapidly being used, adopted, and leveraged, and while we see Generative AI’s incredible potential to uplift communities and connect them with valuable State resources and services, we must ensure we’re using these technologies in a manner that’s equitable, safe, and secure.”