4 YWCC Faculty Contribute to Report to the Governor as Part of AI Task Force

Distinguished Professors David Bader and Guiling “Grace” Wang and Professors Cristian Borcea and Vincent Oria in the Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC) served as part of Governor Phil Murphy’s AI Task Force for the state of New Jersey, a team comprised of industry leaders, academic experts, consumer advocates, and government innovators tasked with establishing programs, trainings and tools that advance the state’s leadership in AI.

Recommendations by the Task Force were recently published in The Report to the Governor on Artificial Intelligence, which aims to create economic opportunities for residents and businesses, encourage ethical use of AI technologies, promote  equitable outcomes, support public and private workforces and improve government services and the resident experience.

The YWCC faculty members each contributed to four AI Taskforce subgroups as part of four primary Working Groups in the following areas: security, safety and privacy considerations for AI use cases; workforce training, jobs of the future and training public professionals; AI, equity and literacy; and making New Jersey a hub for AI innovation.

Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 346 in October 2023, which established the Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) Task Force to study emerging technologies, issue findings on their potential societal impacts, and offer recommendations for government actions to encourage the ethical and responsible use of AI technologies.

Recommendations 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 GenAI to support policy outcomes and improve the resident experience.

New Jersey is the first state in the nation to launch comprehensive surveys of its state public and private workforces, residents, businesses and higher education institutions to understand their views on AI. The report will act as a roadmap for the future of the AI industry in New Jersey, further positioning the state as the nation’s leader in AI innovation.

“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,” Governor Murphy said in a statement. “…I am grateful to the Task Force for their recommendations and look forward to implementing them in the coming months.”