This post was originally published on the New Jersey Office of Innovation's Blog

With recent changes to federal social policy, the responsibility to uphold the American social contract now falls increasingly on the states. Meanwhile, the development and availability of AI provides new opportunities for solving complex problems, while also introducing new uncertainties that may further test the very same social systems.

The New Jersey State Office of Innovation was established to meet moments like this. We apply new developments in technology to deliver excellent services to our state’s over 9 million residents. That mandate includes a dedicated focus on the responsible use of AI to improve the lives of New Jerseyans while also positioning the state to manage the potential for disruption.

New Jersey’s leadership in successfully using AI to deliver real results has been recognized time and again, and today, we’re proud to share that our team has been awarded a first-of-its-kind grant to harness AI to strengthen how public services are delivered. Center for Civic Futures (CCF) announced today that New Jersey is one of seven grantees selected for the first cohort of the Public Benefit Innovation Fund (PBIF), out of over 400 applicants. In its announcement, CCF emphasized that this will help the cohort “test AI responsibly, learn quickly, and share what works” as it explores “practical, people-centered applications of AI emerging across the benefits-access ecosystem.”

With this support, we plan to expand our state-wide generative AI platform, in use by about 20% of the state’s public workforce, to encompass multiple new use-cases specifically designed to improve service delivery and benefits access. This platform includes a comprehensive training program – developed and rolled out thanks to New Jersey’s Chief AI Strategist Beth Simone Noveck – to guide state workers in responsible use of AI. Importantly, it also includes several new, secure and practical tools that we’ll be building out.

The platform’s development will be done in partnership with the State’s Office of Information Technology and many other agencies as part of a coordinated effort to support the health, safety, and economic security of New Jersey residents. It is our hope and goal that these efforts will also inspire similar efforts across the country, which we will support through open source training, software, and related resources.

We are grateful for the feedback we received on the proposal and the strong support from our project partners across state government:

• “This PBIF investment will enable New Jersey to build the infrastructure that transforms how government operates at scale […] When we strengthen our state’s capacity to govern effectively, we create a blueprint for every state.” - Governor Phil Murphy
• “New Jersey is being looked to for its leadership and technology in innovation […] This proposal will further drive the Office of Innovation’s success, lifting all boats and raising the bar on civic technology innovation nationwide” - Sarah Adelman, Commissioner, Department of Human Services
• “My entire staff - thousands of dedicated public servants - have been trained on the NJ AI Assistant […] I look forward to seeing even more AI tools that help residents and staff when this proposal comes to life.” - Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner, Department of Labor & Workforce Development
• “The Office of Innovation’s team is clearly taking a thoughtful and responsible approach to harnessing AI for the benefit of New Jersey families […] The AI tools outlined within the plan could be truly transformative in advancing our vision.” - Lisa Asare, President and CEO, Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority
• “This platform represents a compelling vision for charting and executing a path forward, harnessing AI to face the challenges ahead and to blaze a trail for others around the country.” Christopher Rein, Chief Technology Officer

These partnerships will be crucial, because a key goal of this effort will be to scale prototypes we’re building and refining in order to make them useful across State government – from enabling automated enrollments to quickly processing documents to detect errors.

Beyond that, we’re excited about what we’ll learn and share as part of the cohort of seven grantees. In fact, many of our tools are already open-source, meaning that we provide our code to help other jurisdictions that might want to replicate them. We’ll look to ramp that up, exploring licensing options along the way.

Our vision is to create a scalable, sustainable platform that works for everyone, enhancing access to services and benefits not just in New Jersey, but across the country, as we continue to be a national example of leadership and excellence in responsible AI and service delivery.

Of course, AI is not a panacea for all the challenges we face. But it’s clear that there are a growing number of opportunities to leverage this technology to improve the delivery of government programs, simplify and broaden access, reduce errors and administrative burdens, and make other changes that will have a meaningful, direct, positive impact on people’s lives.

We’re excited to continue uncovering these opportunities with New Jerseyans and our partners across New Jersey state government, and as part of this national cohort. Thank you to the Center for Civic Futures, its affiliates, and others who are supporting our work.

Please reach out to us if you have ideas for collaboration. We’ll keep you updated on our progress.