On April 18, the 2024 NJ-GMIS Technology Education Conference (TEC) welcomed 150 Garden State municipal, county, and school district IT professionals to the Palace at Somerset Park. The conference was sponsored by the New Jersey branch of Government Management Information Sciences (NJ-GMIS).
Keynoting the conference was Giani Cano, an expert in mentalism, who spoke about unlocking the power of focus to enhance decision-making. Participants also had opportunities to engage with vendors demonstrating their software.
NJTechWeekly.com attended a session titled “The Implications of AI within Local Government and Educational Institutions,” where three speakers discussed their experiences with AI in the workplace and provided advice on incorporating AI into processes.
Marc Pfeiffer, senior policy fellow and faculty researcher at the Center for Urban Policy Research, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers–New Brunswick, delivered a talk on policymaking implications of adopting AI tools and infrastructure. Pfeiffer has a 37-year career in New Jersey local government.
“AI is going to drag our management-focused IT administrators more and more into the world of public policy,” Pfeiffer told attendees. “It’s an area you may not have had any training or education in, but it’s an area you are going to have to learn about.”
He emphasized that technology management and public policy would increasingly overlap. "I want you to walk out of here with an understanding that this is something that is in your world now," he said.
Pfeiffer outlined various AI technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, neural networking, robotic processes, business process automation, computer vision, and digital twins. He explained how these technologies could impact public safety by providing real-time alerts for incidents like muggings through trained AI systems.
“When we talk about public policies," Pfeiffer noted, "we are talking about things that set a strategic direction within legal frameworks and government priorities.” He cited examples like privacy policies regarding employer or school system devices and surveillance camera monitoring decisions.
Pfeiffer highlighted concerns over facial ID matches used by police departments without human verification due to potential inaccuracies in AI judgments. He also addressed issues related to public recordings' availability under laws like the New Jersey Open Public Records Act.
“We need new public policy because we haven’t thought about value issues, personal security, crime prevention and public safety implications,” he stated.
Pfeiffer's presentation prompted numerous questions from attendees as they contemplated future changes AI would bring to their municipal and school IT practices.
