Governor Phil Murphy and Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber today announced plans to establish a hub for artificial intelligence (AI) activity in New Jersey in collaboration with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA).
Leveraging state funding and private sector partnerships, the initiative will advance New Jersey’s leadership in AI and catalyze innovation in AI technologies, drive job growth and economic development across the region, promote rapid and responsible development of the field, and guide governments and public entities on AI implementation.
The establishment of this new initiative underscores the Murphy Administration’s commitment to supporting innovation and the technologies of the future in tandem with New Jersey’s world-renowned higher education institutions.
The initiative aims to bring together AI researchers, industry leaders, start-up companies, and other collaborators to advance research and development, house dedicated accelerator space, advance the use of ethical AI for positive societal impact, and promote workforce development to support new technology development, in collaboration with other New Jersey universities, community colleges, and vocational schools.
Establishing a hub for AI activity in New Jersey will leverage the unique strengths of the region, including Princeton’s leadership in AI technologies, drawing on its institutional strengths in technology policy and education, applications of AI across a range of fields, foundational research on AI techniques and their application, novel hardware platforms and interdisciplinary collaborations on using technology for good.
The initiative will also draw on New Jersey’s unique strengths in the health, sustainability, financial, and technology sectors, which have the opportunity to apply artificial intelligence technologies to advance innovative breakthroughs.
President Eisgruber also announced that Princeton and the State will co-host a one-of-a-kind convening on AI at Princeton University on April 11.
This conference will bring together leaders from academia, industry, and government to discuss the most pressing AI issues of the day.
The initiative is part of Governor Murphy’s commitment to make New Jersey a national leader in AI.
In October, Governor Murphy also issued Executive Order No. 346, which established an Artificial Intelligence Task Force charged with studying emerging AI technologies.
The Task Force will be responsible for analyzing the potential societal impacts of AI as well as preparing recommendations to identify government actions encouraging the ethical use of AI technologies.
The Executive Order also announced a nation-leading initiative to educate New Jersey’s State workforce about the development, use, and risks of AI, and directed the 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.