I interviewed the Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy.

We spent an hour talking about his vision for AI in government, economic development, and the regulatory challenges ahead. His approach is refreshingly pragmatic: 

• Spark real innovation at scale. Governor Murphy is laying the groundwork through an AI hub that pools the strengths of the government, academia (Princeton University), legacy tech (Microsoft), and next-gen players (CoreWeave). 

• Creating a place for the brightest minds to live and work. He’s making the Garden State irresistible for the best talent through walkable communities, legal recreational cannabis, and an angel investment tax credit.

• AI that augments teams, instead of replacing them. The Governor sees AI as an “accelerant” that enables teams to do more with the same number of employees. He’s walking the talk by training 61,000 NJ state employees in AI to automate busy work and free them to focus on strategic tasks.

• An integrated regulatory framework for AI. He believes that a technology as pervasive as AI should be regulated at a national level because the state-by-state approach could stifle innovation. 

Governor Phil Murphy is the first governor I’ve ever had on the show and I was honored he took the time to come on. I was also especially excited to do this because I grew up in New Jersey! This is a must watch for anyone interested in the intersection of AI and policy.

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Timestamps for Spotify:

1. Introduction: 00:02:00

2. Why there should be a nation-wide framework to regulate AI: 00:04:31

3. How 61,000 state employees in New Jersey are adopting AI: 00:10:34

4. Why new tech is key to transforming government services: 00:12:20

5. The Governor is bringing startups back to New Jersey: 00:17:30

6. How to stimulate innovation at scale: 00:25:28

7. The Governor is making New Jersey a top choice for the best talent: 00:33:07

8. Balancing technological progress while ensuring the workforce isn’t left behind: 00:36:56

9. We’re moving toward an “allocation economy”: 00:41:39

10. The Governor’s take on international regulation of AI: 00:43:43

Links to resources mentioned in the episode:

• Governor Phil Murphy: @GovMurphy

• More about the New Jersey AI Hub: https://njaihub.org/