New Jersey’s ‘innovation report’ shows expanded use of AI across agencies

According to a report published last week, New Jersey’s Office of Innovation helped connect nearly 100,000 additional children to free summer meals this year through the federal Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, by using artificial intelligence to identify eligible families and simplify the application process.

Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program provides a one-time $120 EBT card to help children, who typically receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year, buy groceries during the summer months.

The initiative, highlighted in the state’s 2025 Innovation Impact Report, reflects how data and design can expand access to essential public benefits.

According to the report, the innovation office, in partnership with the Department of Human Services and Department of Education, developed clearer communications and online tools to ensure families understood their eligibility and how to enroll. The agency said it used data analytics to target households most likely to qualify but not yet enrolled.

“Innovation is more than just trying new things, it’s about finding the most effective and efficient ways to solve real challenges,” Dave Cole, the state’s chief innovation officer, said in the report.

The SEBT enrollment success is one of several examples the state report cites that show how artificial intelligence can improve public service delivery and increase government efficiency.

The report also noted how the state scaled its generative AI tool, NJ AI Assistant, across government agencies, reaching 15,000 workers. The agency said the tool expanded in April to include larger file types and saved the state millions of dollars, at a cost of just $1 per user per month.

The innovation office also piloted new automation tools, the report shows, including one that notifies users to make corrections when submitting files, and another that populates information from PDFs and text files, saving staff time on repetitive tasks, while maintaining 95% accuracy.

The state’s technology office also this year started using AI to analyze call transcripts and began testing a live chatbot at 13 state agency call centers, which handle roughly 10 million calls per year, according to the report. As a result, caller queues dropped from more than 30 minutes to about two minutes in wait time.