New Jersey Administrative Code
Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE
Section - Executive Order No. 346 (2023)

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024

Governor Philip D. Murphy

Executive Order No. 346 (2023)

An Order Establishing the Artificial Intelligence Task Force (the "Task Force"), Which Shall be Responsible for Studying Emerging Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Order to Issue Findings on the Potential Impacts of These Technologies on Society and Offer Recommendations to Identify Government Actions Appropriate to Encourage the Ethical and Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies

Issued: October 10, 2023.

Effective: October 10, 2023.

WHEREAS, New Jersey has a long history of leading the next frontiers of discovery and is a national leader for innovation and the development of new technologies; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey endeavors to foster an environment for continued investment, advancement, and economic potential for New Jersey residents, companies, and public institutions; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey is a hub for commercial activity, business formation, and research and development involving artificial intelligence, including generative artificial intelligence technologies, which generate new content-such as textual, visual, spoken, or musical content-in response to user inputs of data; and

WHEREAS, universities in New Jersey are institutional leaders in research and development and discoveries in the studies of new artificial intelligence technologies; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey is a trailblazer in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and life sciences industries, among other sectors, which have the opportunity to apply artificial intelligence technologies to advance medical and scientific breakthroughs; and

WHEREAS, the use of artificial intelligence technologies is advancing at an unprecedented pace and has the potential to be transformative across public and private sectors; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey aspires to harness new artificial intelligence technologies and realize their benefits to better serve all New Jersey residents, encourage innovation and economic growth, and promote social and economic equity; and

WHEREAS, as artificial intelligence technologies are developed and evolve, they should be analyzed and monitored by industry experts, consumer protection advocates, government officials, and other stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, the use of artificial intelligence technologies has implications for state, national, and personal security, including but not limited to cyber security and data security; and

WHEREAS, Executive Branch departments and agencies across State government have been engaging, and will continue to engage, with industry and other stakeholders to explore strategies to promote the safe, responsible, and efficient development and use of artificial intelligence technologies in New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, the exponential growth of artificial intelligence technologies should be documented, and the potential risks of their use should be acknowledged, planned for, and mitigated; and WHEREAS, the State should promote the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in a manner that aligns and is consistent with this State's policies, goals, and values; and

WHEREAS, a stable and thoughtful regulatory approach to the use of artificial intelligence technologies in this State will continue to foster an environment for innovation while protecting individual and civil rights; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence technologies is fair, accessible, and beneficial to this State's residents;

NOW THEREFORE I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. There is hereby established the Artificial Intelligence Task Force (the "Task Force"), which shall be responsible for studying emerging artificial intelligence technologies in order to issue findings on the potential impacts of these technologies on society and offer recommendations to identify government actions appropriate to encourage the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence technologies.

2. The Task Force shall consist of:

(i) the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology, who shall serve as Co-Chair;

(ii) the Chief Innovation Officer, who shall serve as Co-Chair;

(iii) the Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Authority, who shall serve as Co-Chair;

(iv) the Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging;

(v) the Commissioner of the Department of Education;

(vi) the Secretary of Higher Education;

(vii) the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development;

(viii) the Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness; and

(ix) the Attorney General, or their designees.

3. The Governor may, as determined to be appropriate, appoint additional members to the Task Force. All members of the Task Force shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor and without compensation.

4. The Task Force shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members and shall convene at least as often as requested by the Governor or Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs may designate working groups from among the members to assist them in the Task Force's performance of its duties.

5. The Co-Chairs shall issue a report with the Task Force's findings and recommendations to the Governor no later than 12 months after the effective date of this Order. The report shall be made available to the Legislature and the public at the same time.

6. The Task Force is authorized to call upon any department, office, division, or agency of this State to supply it with data or other information or assistance available to such agency as the Task Force deems necessary to execute its duties under this Order. Each Executive Branch department and agency is hereby required, to the extent not inconsistent with law, to cooperate fully with the Task Force and to furnish such assistance on as timely a basis as is necessary to accomplish the purpose of this Order. The Task Force may consult with experts and other knowledgeable individuals in the public or private sector on any aspect of its mission.

7. For purposes of this Order, "Executive Branch departments and agencies" shall mean any of the principal departments in the Executive Branch of State government and any agency, authority, board, bureau, commission, division, institution, office, or other instrumentality within or created by any such department, and any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality, or agency over which the Governor exercises executive authority, as determined by the Attorney General.

8. The Task Force may elicit public input from individuals, including those associated with institutions of higher education, organizations, community groups, and other interested parties. In particular, the Task Force shall consult academic professionals specializing in ethics or artificial intelligence technologies; industry professionals; and professionals with backgrounds across issues such as constitutional and legal rights, law enforcement, education, and consumer protection to help inform and supplement the Task Force's findings.

9. The Task Force shall be purely advisory in nature and shall provide advice to the Governor and other Executive Branch departments and agencies as appropriate.

10. In addition to the work of the Task Force, to assist and further the goals for the use of artificial intelligence technologies in this State:

a. The Economic Development Authority shall 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;

b. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall review artificial intelligence technologies as a research opportunity for New Jersey colleges and universities;

c. The Office of Information Technology shall develop a policy to govern and facilitate use of artificial intelligence technologies by Executive Branch departments and agencies;

d. The Office of Innovation shall develop a training program to enable Executive Branch department and agency staff to use artificial intelligence technologies responsibly and intelligently;

e. The Office of Information Technology shall evaluate tools and strategies to improve government services through artificial intelligence; and

f. The Office of Information Technology, the Office of Innovation, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall support Executive Branch departments and agencies in responsibly deploying artificial intelligence technologies to improve the delivery of government services.

11. Nothing in this Order shall be construed to supersede any federal, State, or local law.

12. This Order shall take effect immediately.

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